The GLEON 2026 All Hands’ Meeting will be held at Lake Banyoles, Spain on 31 August to 4 September 2026 with pre-meetings and early arrivals on 29-30 August 2026. The meeting will be hosted by Universitat de Girona (UdG), Blanes Centre for Advanced Studies (CEAB), and University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) with support from numerous local institutions, companies, and communities.
Ada Pastor, Núria Catalán, and Mireia Bartrons will be the host team for the GLEON 2026 Meeting in Banyoles, Spain. This website will be updated as new information is available, so check back soon.
Program Overview
An overview of the meeting program is provided below:
- Saturday, 29 August – GLEON Steering Committee retreat and early arrivals
- Sunday, 30 August – Workshops, facilitation training, and arrival day for all other attendees
- Monday, 31 August – Welcome and Working Group meetings
- Tuesday, 1 September – Working Groups and Poster Session
- Wednesday, 2 September – Excursions
- Thursday, 3 September – Working Group meetings
- Friday, 4 September – Working Group meetings and final report back
Please note that the meeting will take place through Friday this year to allow for mid-week excursions.
Special groups involved in the meeting:
- Spanish stakeholders in the Lake and Reservoir Management Working Group, focusing on challenges in arid and semi-arid regions
- Selected local researchers to share the social and scientific context of Lake Banyoles
- Sponsorship program for Spanish-speaking early-career researchers from the Global South offered by the esGLEON network. Stay tuned for more information!
The host team is happy to assist in efforts to secure travel funding for researchers at underrepresented regions in GLEON.
The vision for the meeting organizers is to uphold GLEON’s values:
- Collaboration, inclusivity, interdisciplinarity
- Active participation from early-career researchers
- Field excursions to nearby places of ecological and/or cultural interest
- Affordable meeting package to facilitate Global South attendance
Venue and Accommodations
Meeting organizers are using a strategy to ensure a genuine GLEON experience:
- Purposely avoided luxury resorts to keep costs at a minimum
- Although there will be several options for overnight accommodations, the whole meeting is happening in a small pedestrian downtown area with everything within a five minutes walking distance.
- The main meeting venue will be Ateneu de Banyoles.
About Banyoles
- Best known for its karstic lake – the Estany de Banyoles, the largest natural lake in Catalonia and a landmark in Spanish limnology.
- Formed by limestone dissolution and underground springs, it has a unique karstic hydrology, rich biodiversity, and is a hub for research, recreation, and rowing— notably hosting the 1992 Olympic events.
- Surrounded by scenic landscapes and medieval heritage, Banyoles blends nature, science, and culture.
- Close to Barcelona International airport (100km) and Girona High Speed Train station (15km)
