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.

Call for Session Proposals

On 17 December 2024, the call for session proposals has opened. Each session proposal needs to be linked to one of the 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.

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

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Call for Back-to-back meetings

Are you interested in organising a meeting for your marine project, initiative, or community back-to-back with the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity 2026? VLIZ is offering the possibility to book its meeting rooms in the weeks of 9-13 November and 23-27 November 2026 at the InnovOcean Campus in Ostend, only 30 minutes from Bruges.

Back-to-back meetings details and conditions: https://wcmb2026.org/call-back-back-meeting
Submission deadline: 31 March 2025
Feedback on submissions: 15 May 2025
Expression of interest form: https://form.vliz.be/nl/WCMB2026_Meetings