Call for Session Proposals

At a time when profound and transformative change is urgently required to address the intertwined crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing social inequalities, the Nature-based Solutions International Congress will position Paris as a global focal point for advancing Nature-based Solutions (NbS). From November 3 to 6, 2026, at Sorbonne University in Paris, France, the Congress will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, urban leaders, businesses, investors, and civil society actors from around the world.

Conceived as a convergence space, the Congress aims to accelerate the global NbS agenda by fostering dialogue across science, governance, finance, and implementation. Supported by the French National Research Program on Nature-based Solutions (SOLU-BIOD), NetworkNature, UNP+, Biodiversa+ and the Sorbonne University, it aims to create a decisive moment of alignment across science, governance, and implementation, strengthening synergies and amplifying the international impact of NbS.

As one of its core events, the Scientific Conference will mark a major milestone: the first large-scale international scientific conference dedicated exclusively to Nature-based Solutions. It fills a critical gap by providing a dedicated forum for presenting and discussing fundamental, interdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented research, while fostering dialogue across disciplines and sectors.

To co-design this ambitious scientific program, the Congress is launching an International Call for Sessions, inviting the global NbS community to propose thematic sessions that reflect the diversity, innovation, and transformative potential of NbS research across continents.

Scope of the Call 

We invite proposals for 2-hour sessions that address the multifaceted challenges of Nature-based Solutions across all ecosystems, sectors, and geographical scales.  

Contributions may be theoretical, methodological, empirical, or practice-oriented, and are particularly encouraged to bridge perspectives and experiences across communities.

Indicative (non-exhaustive) themes include:

• The role of genetic diversity and evolutionary potential for the effectiveness and resilience of NbS at different spatial and temporal scales.
• The role of social processes, governance arrangements, and stakeholder dynamics in the success of Nature-based Solutions.
• The evaluation of NbS performance, including ecological, social, and economic dimensions, and the mechanisms enabling their scaling-up and long-term sustainability;
• Scenarios, models, and foresight approaches to anticipate NbS performance under climate change and other global change drivers;

Proposals addressing other NbS-related topics fully aligned with the Congress are equally welcome.

To apply, please click on the button to acces to the form and fill in all the requested information :

Session format 

All sessions will have a 2-hour time slot. Session proposals should clearly indicate the format best suited to their objectives and to the level of scientific depth and interaction envisioned.

Proposers may request up to three sessions, justified by the scope and ambition of the topic.

1. Symposium (Scientific Presentations)

• Structure: A series of oral presentations centered on a specific research theme, followed by a moderated Q&A.
• Objective: To present high-quality, peer-reviewed findings on NbS, methodological innovations, or systematic reviews.
• Requirement: Proposals must demonstrate thematic coherence and a clear contribution to the scientific state-of-the-art on NbS.

2. Scientific Workshop (Methodological/Collaborative)

• Structure: A brief framing of a technical problem followed by facilitated group work or collaborative analysis.
• Objective: To test new indicators, refine interdisciplinary methodologies, or harmonize data collection approaches.
• Requirement: Proposals must outline the specific scientific output or methodological progress expected from the session.

3. Others formats

Other formats are welcome, we encourage creative and innovative approaches to foster engagement and knowledge exchange.

What to Include in Your Session Proposal

• Session Title (max 20 words) : A concise and engaging title clearly reflecting the focus of the session
• Session Abstract (max 300 words) : A short description outlining the topic, objectives, and relevance of the session in relation to the Congress. Sessions may address emerging, innovative, or underexplored topics, interdisciplinary approaches, or critical reflections on NbS
• Host and co-host names, institutions and emails
• Session Format: Selected from the options above
• Number of sessions/slots

Organization and Financial Support

The Congress will provide a session room with basic audiovisual equipment. Session organizers are responsible for all organizational arrangements, including speaker coordination. All participants, including speakers, must be registered for the Congress.

Key dates

• Call for Sessions Opens: 23/02/26
• Submission Deadline: 30/03/2026
• Review (Scientific Committee): 15/04/2026
• Notification of Acceptance: 17/04/2026
• Submission of Abstracts: 20/04/2026-20/05/2026
• Review of abstracts: 21/05/2026-04/06/2026
• Notification of abstracts acceptance: 08/06/2026
• Definitive Program: 10/06/2026

Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process

All session proposals will be evaluated by a dedicated International Scientific Council composed of experts from diverse disciplines and sectors related to Nature-based Solutions.

The Scientific Council will assess proposals based on the following criteria:

• Scientific quality and relevance to the objectives of the Congress and the broader NbS community;
• Originality, timeliness, and innovation of the proposed topic;
• Diversity of speakers and perspectives, including geography, gender, career stage, and sector.
• Potential to attract and actively engage a broad and interdisciplinary audience.

Beyond individual proposal quality, the selection process will also aim to ensure overall thematic coherence of the Congress programme. This includes creating thematic moments and cross-cutting sessions throughout the event, encouraging complementarities between sessions, and avoiding unnecessary overlap.

Where relevant, the International Scientific Council may suggest adjustments, refinements, or the merging of proposals in consultation with session organizers, to strengthen coherence, balance, and impact of the final programme.

If you have any issues or questions, you can write to us at nbscongress@sciencesconf.org