A Practical Introduction to NGS Data Analysis and Variant Calling
From Quality Control and Read Mapping to DNA Variant Calling (VCF)
Date: 9 - 11 September 2026
Timezone: Berlin
Language of instruction: English
This workshop is designed to give you a solid, practical understanding of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) with a clear focus on the bioinformatics steps that most often determine whether an analysis is trustworthy.
You will learn how to assess your own NGS data, identify common problems and error sources, and complete a first downstream analysis workflow, including DNA variant calling.
In the course we work with a real-life Illumina NGS dataset.
After 3 days, you will be able to:
- Evaluate raw sequencing data (FASTQ) using quality control best practices
- Perform preprocessing (adapter clipping, quality trimming) and understand why you do it
- Map reads to a reference genome and interpret mapping quality (SAM/BAM)
- Inspect alignments in IGV/UCSC to validate findings
- Generate and interpret a VCF, apply basic filtering, and avoid common pitfalls
Contact: ecSeq Bioinformatics GmbH Sternwartenstr. 29 D-04103 Leipzig Germany Email: [email protected]
Keywords: NGS, NGS analysis, NGS bioinformatics, NGS data analysis, Variant calling, Cancer mutation
Venue: cmt GmbH, Hansastraße 32, 80686 Munich, Germany
City: München
Country: Germany
Postcode: 80686
Prerequisites:
Requirements
Who is this workshop for: Biologists and data analysts who work with NGS (or plan to) and want a structured, practical entry into NGS data analysis.
Assumed knowledge: A fundamental understanding of molecular biology (DNA, RNA, gene expression, PCR, …)
Helpful but not required: Basic Linux/bioinformatics familiarity (command line, common tools). We start from the basics and guide you step-by-step.
Clarity note: You will work on the Linux command line, but this is not a programming course.
Learning objectives:
In a nutshell
- Build the essential Linux command-line skills used in everyday NGS bioinformatics
- Understand key NGS concepts: technology, algorithms, and file formats (FASTQ, BAM, VCF)
- Use widely adopted open-source tools to process and inspect sequencing data
- Perform first downstream analyses to study genetic variation (variant calling & filtering)
Organizer: ecSeq Bioinformatics GmbH
Target audience: Biologist, Biological sciences research students and postdocs who may want to use HPC in their research.Please note that Biochemistry first year graduate students book this course via their Moodle site not here., Molecular Biologists, Pathologists
Capacity: 20
Event types:
- Workshops and courses
Tech requirements:
No laptop needed.
Cost basis: Cost incurred by all
Cost: € 989.0 (EUR)
Activity log
