Climate Research Frontiers for Regional Decision Contexts

a pan-RIfS Workshop

 

(by invitation only)

RIfS will host its first community-wide workshop from June 9–12, 2026, in Nanjing, China, with online participation available.

Building on 2025 milestones—including the creation of six formal bodies focused on robust climate information, responsible data use, and regional action in Africa, as well as the consolidation of the GEP and the 15th anniversary of CORDEX—this event marks the first major gathering of all these groups since RIfS was established. It will unite a growing global network of volunteers and partners to address emerging cross-cutting issues, advance key scientific questions, and initiate planning for the next phase of RIfS.

Under the theme “Climate Research Frontiers for Regional Decision Contexts”, the four-day hybrid workshop will feature plenary panels, strategic sessions, and group discussions to identify transferable strategies and innovate new approaches to regional climate change information for policy and decision-making. 

Information for attendees | Program Highlights

Information for attendees

Registration

Registration deadline, for those who have received an in-person invitation: February 27, 2026. Please register here. Online registration may be extended beyond this date. 

If you wish to apply for funding, please fill out this form by February 27, 2026.

Location

The workshop will take place in Nanjing, China. More information about the official workshop hotel will be available in early March along with confirmation of acceptance, and travel funding.

Side meetings:

The Scientific Steering Group will have a one-day meeting on Saturday June 13th.

Information about other side-meetings will be added here, as it becomes available.

Visa info:

Letters will be issued to confirmed attendees starting in March. Many countries require visas. Please familiarize yourself with the requirements for travel to China from your country. 

Program Highlights

Roadmap | Session Proposals | Discussion Marketplace

Full program will be available in March.

Daily structure: Session 1: 8:30-10:00, 10-10:30 break, Session II 10:30 -12:00 ,  Lunch: 12:00-1:30, Session III 1:30-3:00, 3:00-3:30 break, Session IV 3:30-5:00 or 5:30

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Draft Program Roadmap

Day 1: Stocktake Tue June 9

Expectations, Intended Outcomes, Getting on the Same Page

  • Opening plenary: Welcomes, RIfS overview presentation (developed in wide consultation), panel on use of terminology, Q&A discussion
  • Presentations from existing activities for the remaining 3 sessions of the day.

Day 2: Science Challenges Wed June 10

Summary from Stocktake → Further discussion organized around Science Challenges

  • First session: Summary of Day 1, and some cross-cutting Stocktake Reporting (eg data products, guidance existing or in-development, ongoing or planned community surveys)
  • Rest of the day: moderated panel discussions, break-out groups and/or other interactive format on each of the three Science Challenges from the current RIfS Science Plan

Day 3: Research Frontiers Thurs June 11

Deep-dive on some priority topics → Next Science Plan Discussion

  • Three blocks (2 before lunch, one after), with possibility of parallel sessions.
    • Proposed topics from Program Committee:
      • Interdisciplinary work: collaboration between the social and physical sciences 
      • Regional Uncertainties in an Overshoot World (with report-out from UNEP report that will have launched the Friday before)
      • Climate Literacy
  • Final (fourth) block: session on next Science Plan “zero-order draft”: Presentation from committee on initial ideas, discussion, feedback, and planning next steps of the process.

Day 4: Wrapping up Fri June 12

Open discussion, action items, summarizing

  • Leave one session open for attention to emerging topic(s) from the previous days
  • Action items: confirming next steps on items like
    • articles in-prep/to start
    • Science Plan development
    • Cross-cutting activities
    • Upcoming workshops
    • Opportunities/needs for new activities
  • Closing plenary: a summary of the meeting from the co-chairs, based on notes and written reports from session chairs throughout the meeting.

How to propose a session

As we are organizing a participatory workshop, we invite proposals of interactive sessions such as panel discussions, townhalls, world café, or by your own creative means. The sole requirement will be that proposals have cross-cutting themes, spanning different regions, disciplines, or activities.

Sessions will occur over 1.5 hour blocks of time, and should be in hybrid format to allow for participation of online meeting attendees.

To propose a session, please fill out the form found here by March 2nd.

Discussion Marketplace

We invite you to propose a topic for the Discussion Marketplace, which will take place e.g. at the end of the first day of the meeting. The Discussion Marketplace is a social and interactive session in which participants propose topics for discussion. Selected topics will be allocated a dedicated space (“booth”). At the beginning of the session, topic owners will give a 2-minute pitch to introduce their idea and invite others to join. This will be followed by open, informal conversations at the booths with interested participants, for example, to share experiences, explore challenges, or jointly look for solutions. We welcome initial expressions of interest as part of the workshop registration form. 

This event is hosted and supported by:


with logistics support from the GEP Support Unit, and RIfS IPO.

 

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