We are pleased to invite you to the second edition of “Widening the Big Blue Horizon”
International Conference, which introduces Innovative Practices and Policy Pathways for the
Sustainable Management and Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. The Conference
will take place on 3 and 4 December 2026 in Burgas, Bulgaria, and is organized by the
BCThubs Horizon Europe project.
The Conference aims to bring together experts and stakeholders from academic and research
institutes, the maritime research and innovation industry as well as the public sector,
aspiring to build a constructive forum for knowledge and experience exchange and the
discussion of current approaches in support of the research, preservation, accessibility and
management of Underwater Cultural Heritage.
In this context, it will be an opportunity to present state-of-the-art technologies, results and lessons learnt of research projects and enhance capacity building for the protection and valorization of Underwater Cultural
Heritage (UCH).
The conference programme will cover 5 main topics
1. Innovative Technologies in Maritime Research.
Тhis session focuses on the technologies assisting maritime archaeological research and other relevant fields of research, including surveys, excavation, documentation, preservation, monitoring, accessibility as well as the non-destructive methods and technologies for the in situ and in vitro preservation of the sites. In addition, it discusses the technological approaches and methods to make Underwater Archaeological Research greener.
2. UNESCO Best Practices and the Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage.
This session focuses on strategies for protecting Underwater Cultural Heritage sites, encompassing their identification, monitoring, management, and operational services, along with improving both physical and digital accessibility. The discussion will also highlight tourism development, particularly within the framework of sustainable and regenerative blue tourism, community and citizen engagement, and innovative public private partnership initiatives.
3. Adaptive and sustainable approaches to Climate Change impacts on Underwater
Heritage.
Adaptive and mitigative approaches incorporating innovative technologies to address the impacts of climate change on Underwater Heritage. Within this framework, the session will present dual-purpose monitoring strategies, technologies, and practices that contribute to the preservation of underwater cultural heritage and marine environment. It will also explore how circular tourism models and blue economy strategies can foster a more sustainable and resilient future.
4. Integrating 3D, geospatial, semantic, and data-driven frameworks for Underwater Cultural Heritage: building a Digital Ecosystem for maritime and coastal knowledge.
This session explores how the convergence between digital heritage research and the Blue Economy can generate a new, integrative paradigm for Underwater Cultural Heritage. The focus is on methods that connect 3D and geospatial acquisition with semantic and ontological frameworks, enabling interoperable representations of maritime heritage across institutions and disciplines. By leveraging knowledge graphs, controlled vocabularies and domain-specific ontologies, the session aims to foster digital ecosystems in which
underwater sites, artefacts and landscapes are linked to their environmental, historical and social contexts. Contributions that advance models for long-term data sustainability, accessibility and reuse—particularly in line with ECCCH and Horizon Europe initiatives—are especially encouraged, as are approaches that connect tangible UCH with intangible maritime knowledge, practices and traditions.
5. Policy Pathways for Accessible and Sustainable Underwater Heritage.
The discussion will address the challenges of aligning heritage protection with Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) policies, blue economy strategies, and environmental objectives, highlighting the need for coherent, cross-sectoral policy integration. It will further explore key obstacles affecting research development and heritage accessibility, while identifying priorities for policy innovation and effective mechanisms that promote collaboration among public authorities, private stakeholders, and local communities. Ultimately, the session seeks to outline policy priorities and strategic pathways that support the sustainable advancement of underwater research and ensure access to underwater cultural heritage and marine environment.
Format and Publishing
The Conference will be in a hybrid format with physical attendance and live streaming for the
online participants, with no registration fee.
The Conference Proceedings will be published online before the conference.
Key Dates & Information
Type of participation: paper and/or poster presentations
Abstract submission deadline: 31 January 2026
Link for abstract submission: https://forms.gle/ik2ZsQggo524W1bp6
Notification on acceptance after blind review by: 15 March 2026
Paper submission deadline by: 1 September 2026
Paper guidelines: TBA
Registration opening: TBA
Conference Language: English
More information and updates about the conference: https://bcthubs.eu/conference2026