About the Forum
This special Waves of Change Forum edition is co-hosted and backed by the French Government via its Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Open Innovation Lab ‘Ecolab‘ together with the Coalition for Sustainable AI and our steering committee has been joined officially by the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA).
The Forum is labelled as part of the French Presidency of the G7 highlighting its contribution to international priorities on climate resilience, sustainable innovation and the mobilisation of AI for the ecological transition. It builds on the momentum of UNOC-3 in Nice and the launch of the AI & Ocean vertical of the Sustainable AI Coalition by the French Government, UN environment Programme, and the UN agency for Digital Technologies.
The Forum will bring together coastal cities, public decision-makers, international organisations, researchers, startups, SMEs and major technology and maritime stakeholders to explore how artificial intelligence can concretely support ocean protection and coastal resilience.
Over three days, participants will have the opportunity to:
• Discover concrete AI applications for ocean protection and coastal resilience
• Meet startups and SMEs developing innovative solutions for coastal territories
• Exchange with other local authorities, researchers and institutions facing similar challenges
• Take part in high-level discussions, collaborative workshops and networking sessions
• Attend a public session with Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s Ambassador for Polar Affairs and Maritime Issues
Who will be there?
- Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ministry of Europe & Foreign Affairs, France
- Akash Bansal, Project Surat, India
- Andreea Strachinescu, European Commission, Europe
- Camille Angué, EDHEC Climate Institute, France
- Pierre-Emmanuel Noël, European Investment Bank, Europe
- Sophie Coulon-Renouvel, Crédit Mutuel Arkea, France
- Stefano Balbi, Basque Center for Climate Change, Euskadi/Spain
- Arnaud Giroire, PDGB, France
- Divya Hegde, Baeru Coast Clear, India
- Emmanuel Lempert, SAP, France & Germany
- Adrian Bührer, Ubermorgen Ventures, Switzerland
- Ndeye Rokhaya Sarr, Yoff & Dakar, Senegal
- Guillaume Bregeras, 2050, France
- Patrick Thaunay, Plastic Vortex, France
- Marie Dollé, BPI France, France
- Tremain Hedden-Jones, City of Santa Cruz, CA/USA
- Benoit Blancher, Plastic Odyssey, France
- Matthew Daines, University of California Los Angeles, USA/UK
- Alain Arnaud, Mercator Ocean International, France/Spain
- Yves Soufflet, Waves’n See, France
- Coumar Ananda, CCIFI & Tech Mahindra, France/India
- Virginie Choquart, Indarra X Credit agricole, France
- Frederic Felipe, Decathlon, France
- Roland Jungenkrueger, Qalcurate, Germany/USA
- Pascal Marty, Bayonne Port & Chamber of Commerce, France
- Mayor Seydina Issa Laye Sambe, Yoff, Senegal
- Vishwa Patel, The Earthist, India
- Sourav Kumar Biswas, Sponge Collaborative, India
- Julia d’Astorg, AXA Foundation for human progress, France
- Claire Dorville, ECOLAB, Ministère de la Transition Ecologique, France
- Franck Darthou, EDF, France
- Clémentine Fischer, AXA, France
- Aline Brouard, ECOLAB, Ministère de la Transition Ecologique, France
- Medza Ndoye, Cercle de réflexion et action citoyenne, Senegal
- Jacques Sainte Marie, INRIA, France
- Gaurav Godhwani, Civic Data Lab, India
- Olivier Dauert, Wildya, France/Germany
- Akira Yoshida, SAP, Japan
- Elmahdi Benabdeljalil, Académie Rurale d’Excellence Amal Biladi, Morocco
- Christian Gasquez, Nice Metropole, France
- Caroline Lapelerie, Floodframe, France
- Robin Alauze, Lineup Ocean, France
- Sarah Weldon, CEA Tech, France
- Adeline Plé, Surfrider Foundation, France
- Juliet Bray, EIT Food, Spain,
- Marie Gaveriaux, Credit Mutuel Arkea, France
- Aude Penouty, Eurosima, France
- Pierre6Arnaud Vallon, VELA, France
- Marilou Suc, Recycllux, France/Romania
- Stéphane Ghenassia, Planctolab, France
- …and MANY more!
When, where?
When? June 01-03, 2026
Where? Biarritz, FR
How to participate?
Admission is free!
-> Register here: https://luma.com/p4kss1ul
-> Full programme: https://www.wavesofchange.earth/2026-forum
An opportunity to go further: Join the Sustainable AI Coalition
In addition to attending the Forum, coastal cities wishing to take a more active role in shaping the international AI & Ocean agenda are invited to join the Sustainable AI Coalition.
Through its dedicated AI & Ocean vertical, the Coalition is now expanding its community to ocean, maritime and coastal stakeholders. The Biarritz Forum will be an important moment to welcome and highlight new coastal city members, notably during the high-level opening session of the Forum.
By joining, your city will:
- Gain international visibility as one of the first coastal cities engaged in the AI & Ocean community of the Sustainable AI Coalition
- Connect your local ecosystem (startups, SMEs, research institutes and public actors) with international partners working on AI, ocean protection and coastal resilience
- Identify concrete AI use cases and innovative solutions that could be replicated in your territory
- Exchange best practices with other coastal cities facing similar challenges, from sea-level rise to coastal erosion and biodiversity loss
- Contribute to international discussions on responsible, frugal and sustainable AI, alongside leading organisations, research labs and standardisation bodies
Membership is free, open and non-binding.
-> Learn more about Coalition’s shared vision
-> Learn more about the AI & Ocean vertical
