Registration for the 10th Annual IIES Science & Policy Workshop | France

Environment, Economy & Society

The IIES is pleased to co-host the 10th Annual Science & Policy Workshop with the University of Toulon (France), scheduled for June 14-17, 2026. This workshop brings together delegates from across the network to share research, identify emerging environmental management priorities, and foster international partnerships. It offers a platform for knowledge exchange, collaborative research planning, and community development within the global network. The main theme of this year’s Workshop is “Environment, Economy & Society”, which will be examined through several sub-themes that emphasize multidisciplinary approaches and topics related to the Institute’s four main pillars.

See Full Size Image HERE.

The Science & Policy Workshop will take place in Toulon on June 15-16, 2026, with an optional ice-breaker session on the evening of June 14th. The workshop will feature plenary talks and parallel sessions, followed by a gala dinner at a vineyard, a signature landmark of the Provence region. Additionally, there will be a field trip on June 17 to highlight Toulon’s vibrant socio-economic activities, with a focus on the human pressures on the environment and the policies in place to safeguard the coastal environment.

Following the Workshop, the 9th International Graduate Student Forum will take place on Ile de Porquerolles, France, for our student participants. Participants who wish to attend both the Workshop and Forum must register separately for the Graduate Forum on the IIES website.

A limited number of travel grants will be available to students from IIES member institutions. The decisions have been made based on the recommendation of the Scientific Committee and communicated to each applicant via e-mail. Students who receive a travel grant for this trip must attend both the Science & Policy Workshop and the Graduate Student Forum.

Organizing Committee

Co-Chairs:

Professor Stephane Mounier | University of Toulon
Professor Margaret Graham | Co-Director, International Institute for Environmental Studies & Chair of Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh
Professor Huy Dang | Co-Director International Institute for Environmental Studies, Trent University

Scientific Committee:

Professor Pushpa Arabindoo | University College London
Romain Bordenave | University of Toulon
Professor Douglas Evans | Founding Director, International Institute for Environmental Studies, Trent University
Professor Claude Fortin | Institut national de la recherche scientifique
Professor Yong Geng | Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Lena Helińska | Jagiellonian University in Kraków
Professor Hwong-wen Ma | National Taiwan University
Professor Abdelkrim Ouammou | Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez
Professor Caroline Regad-Riot | University of Toulon
Professor Cedric Riot | University of Toulon
Professor Craig Sheridan | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Professor Neil Stuart | The University of Edinburgh
Professor Piotr Szwedo | Jagiellonian University in Kraków
Professor Hsing-Jui Wang | National Taiwan University
Farah Noun | Program Coordinator, International Institute for Environmental Studies

Important Dates

Early-Bird Registration Deadline: April 06, 2026
Science & Policy Workshop: June 14-17, 2026
Graduate Student Forum: June 18-20, 2026

The registration portal remains open until May 15. Room assignments for pre-booked hotel rooms will begin after the Early-Bird registration deadline of April 6 and continue until capacity is reached. We do not hold rooms for attendees registering after the early-bird registration deadline.

If you have missed the abstract submission deadline, but still wish to submit an abstract, please email 

Attendees who wish to attend the Science & Policy Workshop without presenting may register below without submitting an abstract.

Workshop Themes

Plenary Speakers

Raimund Bleischwitz acts as Scientific Director of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen since January 2022. Until then, he has been Chair in Sustainable Global Resources at University College London (UCL) and Director of the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources. He holds a full professorial position at University of Bremen and an honorary professorship at University College London. His research interests cover sustainable resource governance, blue economy, circular economy, and the resource nexus. With more than 300 publications and an h-index of 45 (google scholar), he is also among the top 2% of the world’s most cited scientists (‘Stanford List’).

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Biography coming soon.

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Biography coming soon.

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Presentation Information for Participants:

Oral Presentations: Each presentation is allocated 15 minutes; presenters should aim to budget time for a 3-to-5-minute question period at the end of their presentation.

Presenters should report to their designated session room 10 minutes before the session begins to meet the session chair and upload their presentation to the computer provided in the session room. If you wish to present in a language other than English, please ensure that the slides are in English.

Poster Presentations: Poster boards are available for the poster sessions; the dimensions of your poster must be A0 (33.1″ x 46.8″, 84.1 cm x 118.9 cm) or smaller, printed in a portrait orientation.

Field Trips: 

The field trip component is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17^th; one common activity is organized for all participants in the morning, and four options are available in the afternoon for participants to choose from.

Morning Activity:

A 2-hour guided boat tour will showcase the landscape, the history and major socio-economic activities along Toulon’s coast, including the military port, tourism, and aquaculture. Embarkation will start at 9:00 am. Please note that this activity depends on weather conditions.

More information at https://www.lesbateliersdelarade.com/rade-toulon.html

Participants will have free time for lunch at the Toulon harbour.

Afternoon Activities:

Four options are currently available to participants for the afternoon activities. Some of these options are contingent upon meeting the minimum participant requirement for a group reservation. Please select your preferred option during registration.

Option 1: Visit to Mont Faron

With a height of 584 meters, Mont Faron provides a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Toulon. Participants can take a 6-minute cable car up to the top of Mont Farron, where a museum dedicated to the landing in Provence, a zoo, and many hiking trails are available. Please note that the cable car may be closed on windy days.

More information at https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/get-inspired/natural-areas/mont-faron/

Option 2: Visit to the Mining Museum

The Musée de la Mine de Cap Garonne offers 1-hour self-guided tours in several languages starting at 2:00 pm. The museum is located at the summit of Cap Garonne, with panoramic views over the Iles d’Hyères and the Toulon harbour, and numerous hiking trails throughout the area. Please note that the temperature inside the mine is around 15 degrees Celsius, so be sure to dress accordingly.

More information at https://www.mine-capgaronne.fr/

Option 3: Visit to the Water Treatment Plants

The Veolia company operates the water treatment facilities for the region. A guided group tour of their facilities, specializing in sustainable water and wastewater treatment solutions, is available.

Option 4: Free time to discover Old Toulon

If you do not wish to participate in any of the options above, we encourage you to spend your free time exploring the city at your own pace. Toulon has so much to offer, and a great way to experience it is aboard Le Petit Train, a charming tourist train that takes you through the city’s major attractions.

Travel Grants & Financial Support:

Transportation:

While the IIES and the Université de Toulon have arranged bus transportation for different activities during the events, all participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the conference (flights, buses, trains). Toulon is easily accessible by train (TGV/TER at Toulon Railway Station), car via the A50/A57 highways, or flights to Toulon-Hyères Airport (25 mins away) or Marseille/Nice (1.5-2 hours).

Travel Grants:

A limited number of travel grants are available to students from IIES member institutions; decisions have been communicated through acceptance letters. These grants were awarded based on a ranking established by the scientific committee, with consideration given to equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as other barriers in science. Students receiving a travel grant must attend both the Science & Policy Workshop and the Graduate Student Forum; Please register separately for each event. If you have not received a confirmation e-mail, please check your junk folder. If you still cannot find this e-mail, please contact: .

In addition to the travel grants, the IIES covers accommodation, some meals, field trip activities, transportation costs during events, and the gala dinner for all student attendees from IIES member institutions. 

Meals

Coffee and tea breaks will be provided for participants during the 2-day workshop. For other meals, we encourage attendees to explore Mediterranean and Provençal cuisine, as the hotels and conference sites are conveniently located just a few minutes from Old Toulon and its Harbour.

A gala dinner (Tuesday, June 16) will take place at the Domaine de la Barratone, a Provencal vineyard. The IIES and the Université de Toulon will cover the cost of the dinner for all students. 

We invite faculty and non-student participants to register for the gala dinner at their own expense. Please select this option during registration, then proceed with your payment using the button below or the link on the redirection page after submitting your registration. The cost of this gala dinner is 95€ per person (approximately 110 USD$/pax) and includes round-trip transportation, a 4-course meal with wine and all taxes. Please note that the payment portal will list and process payments in USD$ only. Please complete payment by 11:59 pm on April 30th, 2026 to reserve your seat. For questions or issues, please e-mail: .

If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, please indicate this during registration.

Accommodations: 

The IIES and the Université de Toulon have pre-booked a fixed number of hotel rooms at the Ibis Style and Ibis Budget Hotels in Downtown Toulon and will allocate them at no cost to participants from IIES member institutions. Please be aware that we do not guarantee rooms for all participants and will allocate them based on availability and necessity. Also, please note that we will not hold rooms for participants residing in Toulon. Rooms will be allocated after the early-bird registration deadline, until capacity is reached.

Rooms are reserved from June 14th through the morning of June 18th. If you wish to arrive earlier or extend your stay in Toulon, please book your own accommodations.

Please note that all students will be paired up by gender in rooms of 2.

For more information, please visit our general Frequently Asked Questions page.

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If you have any questions or require any further information please contact: