We are proud to announce that speciesID.be has officially been recognised by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) as a Centre of Excellence for the ‘Identification and Molecular Analysis of Species and Tissues of Policy Concern’.

What is speciesID.be? 🔬

speciesID.be unites the expertise of three complementary scientific units:

🔹BopCo – species and tissue identification of organisms of policy concern

🔹ENFORCE – forensic wood identification and research

🔹JEMU – pioneering genomic and molecular tools for taxonomy and species identification

These units are hosted by the Institute of Natural Sciences and the AfricaMuseum, and together we provide reliable, science‑based identification services using morphological, molecular, chemical and AI‑assisted methods. Our work supports biodiversity conservation, public health, food-chain monitoring, sustainable trade, and the fight against illegal trafficking of natural resources.

Centre of Excellence 🏅

This recognition as a Centre of Excellence confirms the societal relevance, scientific quality and unique interdisciplinary capacity of speciesID.be, and marks an important milestone towards sustainable, long‑term operation and collaboration with national and international partners.

We look forward to many more fruitful collaborations and to strengthening our services, research, and impact in the years ahead.