BRIDGES Days – 2 and 3 December 2026 in Reunion Island
On December 2 and 3, 2026, in L’Hermitage-les-Bains (Reunion Island), the BRIDGES Research Program will bring together its scientific teams, members of its international scientific advisory board, and partners from the study sites in the southwestern Indian Ocean. These two days will be dedicated to sharing initial results, discussing emerging issues at each site, and exploring the program’s future prospects.
In 2026, four co-construction workshops brought together key actors from the BRIDGES coastal sites. These workshops helped establish shared assessments of management challenges, explore solutions, and envision desirable futures. The BRIDGES Days will build on this work: the questions raised at the sites will be compared with initial scientific findings to discuss research to be developed starting in 2027.
These two days will feature presentations, discussions, and group workshops. Site-specific sessions will provide an in-depth look at ongoing work. Cross-cutting sessions will open the discussion on co-creation methods and future modeling efforts. Informal gatherings will also facilitate networking and exchanges.
📅 December 2 and 3, 2026
📍 Hôtel Le Récif, L’Hermitage-les-Bains, Réunion, and via videoconference
🌐 Simultaneous interpretation in French, English, and Portuguese
📝 Registration required for both in-person and remote participation
Coastal Sites at the Heart of the Discussions
Four sessions will be dedicated to the Comoros, Réunion, Mayotte, and Mozambique. For each site, the teams will revisit emerging research questions from the co-construction workshops, present initial scientific findings, and discuss avenues for future work for the observatory and BRIDGES’ modeling tools.
These sessions will also tie in with training programs, PhD theses, and other ongoing or planned activities. Each presentation will be followed by a discussion period to explore topics specific to the site or common to multiple sites in greater depth.
The Regional Site: Linking Research Across the Southwestern Indian Ocean
The session dedicated to the regional site, including the Scattered Islands, will present initial scientific findings, progress on work conducted through the SIOMPA projects, and proposed approaches for the observatory and regional-scale modeling.
It will also address collaboration with the SURPRISES program and the co-construction workshop scheduled for early 2027.
Cross-cutting sessions to plan the next steps
- Co-construction in BRIDGES. This session will present the approach followed at the sites and how it contributes to defining research questions.
- My PhD thesis in 180 seconds. PhD students in the program will present their topics in three minutes. This is an opportunity to meet the program’s PhD students, particularly the recipients of the 2026 thesis cluster and learn about their research topics. Discover the network of young ocean professionals.
- The cross-disciplinary workshop on Thursday afternoon will be dedicated to modeling work. This workshop will, in particular, help prepare for the 2027 call for projects on coastal site modeling.
- Time will be set aside for discussion and networking within the BRIDGES Community, including a cocktail reception at the Récif Hotel and a coffee meet-and-greet to kick off Thursday’s events.
Early Achievements to Build Upon
The BRIDGES Days will provide an opportunity to reflect on the progress made so far. BRIDGES has established collaborations with networks of actors at its sites, particularly through the institutional and scientific committees at each site. These forums help to develop research grounded in local realities and needs.
BRIDGES.The program already has initial resources and analyses to share: a catalog of digital resources, inventory lists of actors and an interactive map, as well as an inventory and critical analysis of 51 observatories. A regional workshop also provided an opportunity to work collectively on defining the BRIDGES observatory.
The first training and capacity-sharing activities have been rolled out: seven interdisciplinary training sessions for 120 participants, including courses dedicated to open science and data. A first cohort of 20 doctoral students, funded through the #1 thesis cluster call for proposals, will also join the program in 2026.
Complete Event Schedule
The program is subject to change between now and the event.
Day 1 – Wednesday, December 2
| Schedule (Reunion Island time, UTC+4) | Program |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Welcome coffee |
| 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Opening remarks |
| 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | WIO Regional Site Including the Scattered Islands – Moderated by Pierre Brasseur (CNRS) and Quentin Schull (Ifremer) |
| 10:15 AM – 10:35 AM | Coffee break |
| 10:35 AM – 11:00 AM | Co-construction in BRIDGES – Moderated by Brice Trouillet (University of Nantes/CNRS) |
| 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Mayotte Site – Moderated by Claire Gollety (University of Mayotte), Stéphanie Mahévas (Ifremer), and Quentin Schull (Ifremer) |
| 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM | My PhD Thesis in 180 Seconds – Moderated by Camille Gall (CNRS) |
| 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM | Coffee break |
| 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | Reunion Island Site – Moderated by Adrien Comte (IRD), Lionel Bigot (University of Reunion Island), and Christophe Delacourt (CNRS) |
| 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Opening cocktail reception at Le Récif |
Day 2 – Thursday, December 3
| Schedule (Reunion Island time, UTC+4) | Program |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Welcome coffee |
| 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | Keynote address by the International Scientific Advisory Board |
| 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Comoros Site – The names of the facilitators will be confirmed at a later date |
| 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Coffee break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Mozambique Site – Moderated by Stéphanie Duvail (IRD) and Célia Macamo (UEM) |
| 12:15 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Cross-cutting Workshop – Modeling – Facilitated by Pierre Brasseur (CNRS) and Stéphanie Mahévas (Ifremer) |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Coffee break |
| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Cross-cutting Workshop – Modeling – Continued – Facilitated by Pierre Brasseur (CNRS) and Stéphanie Mahévas (Ifremer) |
| 5:00 PM | Closing Remarks |
What is covered
The registration fee, including meals and cocktail, is fully covered by the BRIDGES program. Travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of the participants.
Registration
Please fill out the form below to confirm your participation, whether in person or online, subject to availability. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us: contact@bridges-wio.com
We look forward to welcoming you for two days of exchange, collaboration, and scientific synthesis on the BRIDGES research program work in the South-West Indian Ocean region.
