BIOCORE is run in collaboration with the Natural History Museum (University of Oslo), NTNU University Museum (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), University Museum of Bergen (University of Bergen), and the Arctic University Museum of Norway (UiT The Arctic University of Norway). Their preserved and living collections, together with botanical gardens, form a critical national infrastructure for biodiversity research, conservation, and education.
BIOCORE teaches an integrated skill set, including:
- field sampling and maintenance of living collections
- taxonomic expertise and specimen digitisation
- genomic and molecular methods
- data integration and analysis
- communication and societal engagement
Through a structured curriculum that combines field and lab training, digitisation, data‑driven approaches, and science‑policy engagement, BIOCORE prepares early‑career researchers to work across disciplinary boundaries and contribute to national and international biodiversity efforts.
Close collaboration with partners such as Artsdatabanken, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) ensures that BIOCORE addresses concrete management and policy questions.
By modernising collections, improving sampling and digitisation, and training researchers in communication and stakeholder engagement, BIOCORE strengthens Norway’s capacity to monitor and respond to biodiversity loss and to make museum‑based research more useful to the public and decision‑makers.
