RitrainPlus Knowledge Exchange Workshop:

Online

Organised jointly by ICOS and ACTRIS in the scope of the RitrainPlus project, the online workshop is dedicated to the management of European projects, and it is organised in three independent sessions on 14, 15 and 29 November. Participants can register for one or more of the sessions, depending on their interest.

The three sessions will cover essential topics: methods for identifying emerging themes and assessing project portfolios; practical strategies for managing multiple projects simultaneously; and ways to ensure the sustainability and long-term legacy of projects.

Please note that space is limited, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

For details on this workshop, visit this page: https://ritrainplus.eu/2024/10/16/ritrainplus-knowledge-exchange-workshop-project-portfolio-management/

CLIM-A: International Congress on Climate change

clim-a congress

 Cádiz, Spain

LifeWatch ERIC will attend the CLIM-A International Congress on Climate Change in Andalusia, on 23 and 24 October 2024, represented by José Manuel Ávila-Castuera, Agroecology Coordinator from our ICT-Core offices in Sevilla (Spain).

Mr. Ávila-Castuera will attend the Round Table 5, in the afternoon of 24 October, dedicated to Climate Services Research and Innovation and moderated by Ms. María López Sanchís, General Secretary of Sustainability and Environment at the Regional Government of Andalusia.

The CLIM-A congress brings together prominent leaders, experts, and environment professionals from all over the world, to discuss challenges and opportunities related to climate change, especially in Europe and in the Andalusian region.

The full agenda is available here: https://www.climacongress.org/#agenda

“Marine SABRES in fairs” at the European Researchers’ Night

european researchers' night

Lecce, Italy

LifeWatch ERIC participates in the European Researchers’ Night with the project Marine SABRES (www.marinesabres.eu), in the scope of the initiative “Marine SABRES in fairs: biodiversity conservation and restoration, sustainable blue economy and the benefits of ecotourism”.

During the event, LifeWatch ERIC presents results and activities carried out in the framework of the project, promotes best practices and examples of sustainable use of marine resources and tourism, and also presents some videos realised by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre relating to project activities.

Moreover, the event is a chance to promote the Serious Game School Competition just launched by the project.

More info: https://www.lifewatch.eu/2024/09/13/marine-sabres-european-researchers-night-2024/

Biodiversity Monitoring in Luxembourg

Biodiversity monitoring Luxembourg LIST

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Structured data is essential in order to study the conservation status of certain species, update red lists at the national level, and produce new distribution atlases.

Moreover, it opens new opportunities for novel approaches to the analysis and processing of such data, generating indicators that can help understand the current situation of nature in Luxembourg.

The objective of the one-day event is to take stock of progress made in recent years, and discuss future opportunities and challenges for biodiversity monitoring.

For more info about the event and to submit your poster, visit: https://www.lifewatch.be/event/biodiversity-monitoring-luxembourg

BioSpace25

biospace25 banner

Frascati (Rome), Italy

The BIOSPACE25 international conference – the first of its kind – is dedicated to the application of Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) across the various dimensions of biodiversity. It addresses Earth Observation from the perspective of its different kinds of ecosystems.

The conference is organised by ESA, the European Commission, the Group on Earth Observation Biodiversity Observation Newtowk (GEO BON), the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), and a number of partner organisations. The objective is to bring together an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral community of experts in biodiversity and conservation, with the goal to offer insightful exploration of critical biodiversity challenges object of Earth Observation systems, and how SRS solutions can contribute.

Julien Radoux, from LifeWatch Belgium, is taking part in the capacity of co-organizer of this unique event. There is also the possibility to submit workshop proposals and abstracts.

Visit the event page for more details: https://biospace25.esa.int/

7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity

world conference marine biodiversity event banner

Bruges, Belgium

The 7th edition of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity will be held from November 17-20th 2026 (WCMB 2026) in Bruges, Belgium, hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The conference has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event.

Taking part in the conference is a major opportunity to share research outcomes, management and policy topics, and offers a platform to discuss current and emerging biodiversity issues.

This year, the main theme will be “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want“.

In collaboration with the WCMB 2026 Scientific Committee, several sub-themes have been defined, which will guide the overall organisation:

  • Challenges to achieve the UN Ocean Decade goals
  • Marine biodiversity: it’s all about the base(line)s and trends
  • Building e-oceans to help us fill our knowledge gaps
  • Marine biodiversity enthusiasts and stewards for the future: who are they, where do they come from, what are their needs and what drives them?
  • Challenges, changes and opportunities in marine taxonomic research: from specimens to genes
  • Science that makes a difference: supporting knowledge-based policies
  • Taking the pulse of the ocean: measuring our current marine biodiversity knowledge through monitoring networks and programs
  • Other

Moreover, the event committee organised a call for session proposals, linked to one of the above conference sub-themes. A session may be constructed around a network, project, initiative or a specific, clearly defined scientific topic or question of broad interest within the field of marine biodiversity and in connection with the chosen sub-theme. Sessions can be constructed as presentations only, or a combination of presentations and discussions.

Practical information:

Session proposal details: https://www.wcmb2026.org/call-session
Submission deadline: 31 March 2025
Feedback on submissions: 15 May 2025
Online submission form: https://form.vliz.be/en/WCMB2026_Sessions

Information on the event and registration are available on the official page: https://www.wcmb2026.org/about

Science Summit 2024

Science Summit workshop

New York City, USA

LifeWatch ERIC and other European partners organise a workshop called Transforming Knowledge into Practice: Science, Technology and Innovation in Support of the UN SDGs.

The event will take place on Thursday, September 26, 2024, from 9:00am to 4:00pm EDT (3:00pm to 10:00pm CEST).

Online joiners can register for free and have the possibility to follow the livestream of the event, which will take place on the Rooftop of the Science Summit venue.

Click here for more information on the event agenda and registration: https://sciencesummit2024.sched.com/event/1jzig

EGI Conference 2024

Lecce, Italy

The annual EGI conference brings together international scientific communities, computing and service providers, European projects, security experts, community managers and policymakers to advance research and innovation in data-intensive processing and analytics. The event provides an open environment for in-depth discussions, new insights and networking opportunities. EGI is organising this event with the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC). CMCC is an Italian research centre focusing on climate and climate-related research, including climate variability, its causes and consequences. This research uses numerical models ranging from the global Earth system to regional models in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

A detailed agenda will be published soon on the EGI’s website: https://www.egi.eu/event/egi2024/

BES Annual Meeting 2024

BES 2024

Liverpool, UK

In December 2024, ecologists worldwide will gather in Liverpool for Europe’s largest conference dedicated to ecology.

The British Ecological Society Annual Meeting attracts over 1200 delegates each year in its flagship event, and provides opportunities to meet new colleagues, develop careers, learn new skills, engaging and sharing research with the global ecological community.

This welcoming conference offers each year an exciting programme of plenary sessions with internationally renowned speakers. This year, the event will feature Rob Fish, Professor of Environmental Sustainability at the Imperial College of London, Ana Carnaval, Professor in the Department of Biology of the City College of New York, Lucy Waruingi, Executive Director of the African Conservation Centre, and Nathalie Seddon, Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford and Founding Director of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative.

Besides these interesting plenary sessions, the attendees will have the chance to attend a number of thematic sessions, workshops, networking events and exhibitions.

The conference is especially relevant for LifeWatch ERIC due to the rich programme of its Thematic sessions, addressing the biodiversity crisis, nature restoration policies and practices, novels tools and technologies to tackle current challenges and much more.

LifeWatch ERIC will attend the event with a booth dedicated to research communities facilities, services and resources (including ENVRI-Hub NEXT), and a set of talks dedicated to biodiversity monitoring, conservation strategies, and more. We have summarised here the details of our interventions:

  • 11 December at 17:15, Room 3A | Michele Lussu (University of Bologna): “Conservation strategy: spatial prioritization approach using Orchids.” (S11).
  • 12 December at 15:15, Room 11B | Andreja Ramšak (National Institute of Biology): “Towards automated biodiversity monitoring -a set-up of Biodiversity Observatory Automation (Thematic Topic under LifeWatch ERIC).” (S34).
  • 12 December from 17:00 to 18:30, Hall 2A | Milad Shokri (University of Salento): “Metabolic responses to climate change in invertebrates.” (poster presentation).
  • 13 December at 14:00, Room 3B | Francesco De Leo (CNR): “Toward a global relationship between net primary production and biodiversity in marine ecosystems.” (S50).

The full programme is available online. For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/bes-annual-meeting-2024

Photo credit: @BritishEcolSoc on X

Tropical Summit 2024

tropical summit 2024

Lisbon, Portugal

The Tropical Summit 2024 aims to bring people together to address the ongoing challenges and opportunities in the tropics: a multi-stakeholder forum committed to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The lessons from the past, including unmet global agendas, highlight the importance of not treating the 2030 deadline as a distant future event but as an urgent reality that requires immediate attention.

The main objectives of the Tropical Summit are to promote the transfer of knowledge, stimulate multidisciplinary collaboration, involve stakeholders, and contribute to the co-creation of innovative projects.

The focus will be on South-South-North triangular cooperation and four thematic areas:

  1. Planetary Health: Nurturing life within the global boundaries
  2. Agricultural Development: Sustainability as a path to socioeconomic progress
  3. Territorial and Social Transitions: Building resilient spaces and societies in every dimension
  4. Human Growth: Empowerment and technology for the times ahead

LifeWatch ERIC will be present in the “Biodiversity and digitalisation” section of the Exhibition Hall. Two members of our Service Centre in Lecce will be there. Laura Caciagli and Ant Türkmen will provide presentations about our services and present the MarineSABRES project.

They will be also joined by members of PORBIOTA, representing LifeWatch Portugal.

To learn more on the Tropical Summit 2024, please visit the official website: https://www.tropicalsummit2024.com/