Certificate of Achievement
has completed the following course:
Natural Products: Harnessing Nature’s Resources for a Better World
Trinity College Dublin and IKC3
The course explored the bioactivity of natural products, including the bioactivity found in food, medicine and cosmetics. It described the challenges and opportunities present in the development of natural products. The Sustainable Development Goals were discussed in relation to the role played by natural products in achieving them. Learners were also introduced to the concept of the bioeconomy.
3 weeks, 4 hours per week
Helen Sheridan
Professor in Pharmacognosy and Natural Product Sciences
Trinity College Dublin
Transcript
Learning outcomes
- Describe how nature provides us with an abundance of compounds and products that provide us with useful biological effects
- Explore the importance of healthy, biodiverse ecosystems for natural product production, applications and future discoveries
- Discuss the consideration of natural products as part of a circular economy
- Explore the pursuit of opportunities to introduce sustainability in the use and production of natural products
- Explain the potential mutual benefits of refinements and developments in natural products to well-being, the environment and the economy
Syllabus
Week 1: Bioactivity in Natural Products: This week explores bioactives in our lives: from food, medicine and cosmetics, to land and animal management. Learners also understand how bioactives connect to the environment, climate and biodiversity.
Week 2: Natural Products: Opportunities and Challenges: This week introduces the opportunities and challenges in natural product development. It also introduces the circular bioeconomy with examples from the bioactive natural product sector.
Week 3: Natural products and Sustainable Development: This week introduces the SDGs and explains how natural products are integral to achieving those goals. Learners explore future perspectives on natural products in nutrition and health maintenance, treatment of disease and in the environmental management.
Issued on 12th December 2025
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