The One Health Summer School 2026 (17–28 August) brought together early-career researchers, practitioners, and students for an intensive two-week learning experience across Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Heidelberg, Germany.
Funded by the COST Association – European Cooperation in Science and Technology, the Summer School provided participants with a unique opportunity to explore how the One Health approaches help us understand and respond to the changing risks of vector-borne and other climate-sensitive infectious diseases.
Combining expert lectures, case studies, field visits, laboratory training, data analysis, modelling workshops, and collaborative projects, the programme equipped participants with both the conceptual understanding and practical skills needed to address complex health challenges at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health.
Data, Modelling and Analysis in Heidelberg
The second week in Heidelberg focused on the data, analytical tools, and modelling approaches required to investigate One Health challenges.Participants took part in workshops and hands-on training covering several aspects of the research process, including:
- Handling and preparing data for modelling.
- Exploring different modelling methods and their applications.
- Applying analytical approaches to real-world One Health questions.
- Introduction to and practical work with phylogenetic analysis.
- Interpreting and communicating results from complex datasets.
The practical sessions allowed participants to move from theory to application, working directly with data and analytical approaches relevant to infectious disease research.
Learning Through Experts, Case Studies and Practical Training
Throughout the two weeks, classes blended expert lectures, case studies, group discussions, and practical sessions.
This combination gave participants the opportunity to learn from researchers and practitioners working across different disciplines while also applying new knowledge themselves. The interdisciplinary format encouraged participants to exchange perspectives, develop new collaborations, and understand how different scientific approaches can complement one another when addressing complex One Health challenges.
The programme also provided valuable opportunities for networking, allowing participants to interact with speakers, organisers, fellow students, doctoral researchers, and professionals from different institutions and scientific backgrounds.
Capstone Projects: Bringing Ideas Together
A central component of the Summer School was the collaborative capstone project.
Working together throughout the programme in groups, participants brought together concepts and methods introduced during the two weeks to develop their own project. The projects provided an opportunity to integrate knowledge from the different sessions, from understanding environmental and climate-related disease risks to working with data and applying modelling and analytical approaches.
On the final day, participants presented their capstone projects, showcasing the knowledge and skills they had developed during the Summer School and demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Inspiring Contributions from External Speakers
Along with lectures from experts and doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University and Erasmus MC, the programme was enriched by contributions from a range of external experts from academia, research, and industry.
Guest speakers included:
Frederic Bartumeus, ICREA
Frauke Ecke, University of Helsinki
Maarten Schrama, Leiden Institute
Elena Bužan, University of Primorska
Alex Richter-Boix, biologist and researcher at CEAB-CSIC
Cedric Marsboom (MSc, Ing), CTO and Head of R&D at Avia-GIS
The two-week journey across Rotterdam and Heidelberg was intensive but a highly valuable learning experience for the participants on how the One Health approaches can contribute to addressing challenges of climate change, environmental transformation, biodiversity loss, and the emergence and spread of infectious diseases and other interconnected challenges that require collaboration across scientific disciplines and sectors.
