Agricultural University – Plovdiv brings together scientists from more than 25 countries at the prestigious BEeS 2026 International Conference

Agricultural University – Plovdiv is hosting one of Europe's most prestigious scientific events in the field of biodiversity and ecosystem sciences – the BEeS 2026 (Biodiversity and Ecosystem eScience) International Conference, organized jointly with the European Research Infrastructure Consortium LifeWatch ERIC.

Over three days, from 8 to 10 July, nearly 200 scientists, researchers, and experts from more than 25 countries are exchanging knowledge, scientific ideas, and best practices in biodiversity, climate change, agroecology, and the application of digital technologies in science. The conference also brings together representatives of 14 Bulgarian scientific organizations, including the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Faculty of Biology at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Green Balkans, as well as members of the national LifeWatch Bulgaria consortium.

The conference is held annually in a different European country. In 2026, Bulgaria is the host through LifeWatch Bulgaria, in partnership with Agricultural University – Plovdiv, the country's official representative in the European research infrastructure LifeWatch ERIC.

The scientific programme focuses on the latest methods and technologies for biodiversity monitoring, ecosystem service assessment, agroecological research, and the analysis of large scientific datasets.

In her opening speech, Prof. Dr. Boryana Ivanova, Rector of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, emphasized the importance of integrating biodiversity science, digital technologies, and European research infrastructures to address today's environmental challenges.

“The theme of this conference could not be more timely. We are living through what has rightly been called the triple planetary crisis — the intertwined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Nature is under pressure as never before, and the conservation of our ecosystems has become one of the defining tasks of our generation. Yet the questions before us are no longer only ecological; they are also questions of data, of technology, and of how quickly we can turn observation into understanding, and understanding into action. This is precisely where eScience enters” the Rector stated.

Prof. Dr. Ivanova highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of BEeS 2026, noting that the conference brings together research on environmental DNA, metagenomics, remote sensing, habitat mapping, machine learning, biodiversity observatories, and FAIR data principles. She stressed that research infrastructures such as LifeWatch ERIC provide a shared European platform for collaborative research and knowledge exchange.

The Rector also underlined the importance of agroecology to the University's mission: “For an agricultural university, these themes are not distant — they are at the heart of our work. Agriculture sits at the very intersection of food security, biodiversity, and climate. The session on agroecology speaks directly to the mission of our institution: to produce food while protecting the living systems on which all production ultimately depends.”

In her speech, Prof. Ivanova also highlighted the One Health concept, which recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. She emphasized Bulgaria's rich biodiversity and the country's contribution to LifeWatch ERIC as an important step towards advancing European biodiversity research and monitoring: “Our country is among the richest in Europe in biological diversity — in its mountains, its rivers, and its cultivated landscapes — and with that richness comes a responsibility to study it, to monitor it, and to protect it with the best tools science can offer. Contributing to LifeWatch ERIC is one of the ways in which our university helps to meet that responsibility.”

Prof. Dr. Dimo Atanasov, PhD, Vice Rector for Scientific and International Affairs, presented Agricultural University – Plovdiv as a modern European higher education and research institution with a strong international profile. He highlighted the University's membership in the UNIgreen Alliance, which unites eight European universities committed to advancing sustainable agriculture, green biotechnology, and life sciences.

Dr. Christos Arvanitidis, Chief Executive Officer of LifeWatch ERIC, presented the organisation's mission as the only European eScience research infrastructure entirely dedicated to biodiversity and ecosystem science.

"Scientists are the reason our infrastructure exists. Our primary mission is to create the conditions that facilitate scientific research and international collaboration. LifeWatch ERIC is a distributed European Research Infrastructure Consortium with several specialised centres across Europe. Our headquarters and the main technological base are located in Seville, Spain; the Service Centre is based in Lecce, Italy; and the Virtual Laboratories and Innovation Centre operates from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In addition, national centres are active in Portugal, Belgium, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Greece, with new countries expected to join the network," he explained.

LifeWatch ERIC’s CEO noted that the organization develops virtual research environments and technologies that overcome the fragmentation of scientific data, accelerate scientific discovery, and support evidence-based policymaking through open science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovative solutions, including the use of artificial intelligence.
According to Dr. Arvanitidis, the mission of LifeWatch ERIC is to transform important scientific questions into reliable results by providing the appropriate tools, data, and expert support.

Alberto Basset, Acting Director of the LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, described the partnership with Agricultural University – Plovdiv as highly successful and emphasized the conference's importance for strengthening international scientific collaboration.

"We are delighted that this year's edition is taking place in Plovdiv in partnership with Agricultural University. Our cooperation in organising the conference has been outstanding. This event provides an excellent opportunity not only to engage with the Bulgarian LifeWatch community but also with scientists and experts from around the world. Nearly 200 participants from more than 25 countries are attending, creating exceptional opportunities for exchanging knowledge, ideas, and scientific experience across institutions and continents," Mr. Basset said.

The programme of the BEeS 2026 is structured around four main pillars focusing on digital research in ecology and the One Health concept.

The first pillar covers key topics including biodiversity, climate change, agroecology, and computer science for e-Science. The second and third pillars feature nearly 70 scientific presentations and hands-on masterclasses, demonstrating how digital services and collaborative research projects support the study, monitoring, and sustainable management of natural resources.

The programme concludes with 11 practical training sessions, where participants and early-careerresearchers will exchange knowledge and gain hands-on experience in working with virtual research environments and advanced digital tools.

Following the official opening on 8 July, the BEeS 2026 International Conference continued with a rich scientific programme featuring keynote lectures, masterclasses and discussions dedicated to biodiversity, agroecology, climate change and digital technologies in environmental research.

8 July
The first conference day featured two keynote presentations.
The first keynote lecture was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tatyana Bileva, Head of the Department of Agroecology at Agricultural Univeristy, entitled "The race against extinction: Protecting flora and fauna before it’s too late". During her presentation, she emphasized the urgent need for timely action to protect plant and animal diversity, highlighting the major challenges facing biodiversity conservation and the importance of sustainable ecosystem management.

The second keynote lecture was presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dessislava Dimitrova from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS), entitled "Local (agro)biodiversity and food as social and cultural capital – beyond the labeling and marketing strategies". The presentation focused on the significance of local agrobiodiversity and traditional food as valuable social and cultural assets that extend far beyond their marketing and branding potential.

The keynote sessions were followed by two masterclasses. The first: "Using the sRedList platform for rapid and effective extinction risk assessment", was delivered by Moreno Di Marco and Francesco DeLeo (Italy). Participants were introduced to the capabilities of the sRedList platform for conducting rapid and effective species extinction risk assessments and its applications in biodiversity conservation.

The second masterclass: "FloodWatch.si: Monitoring Slovenia’s karst wetlands with a new web application", was presented by Magdalena Nǎpǎruş-Aljančič (Slovenia). The session demonstrated the use of an innovative web-based application for monitoring and analyzing Slovenia's karst wetlands.

The afternoon programme concluded with the final keynote lecture of the day: "Climate change effects on biodiversity in Europe", delivered by Prof. Dr. Carl Beierkuhnlein from the Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth (Germany) and the Department of Botany, University of Granada (Spain). His presentation explored the major impacts of climate change on European biodiversity and emphasized the need for integrated scientific approaches to monitor and mitigate these effects.

9 July
The second conference day opened with a keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Vladislav Popov from Agricultural University - Plovdiv, entitled: "Agroecology, Biodiversity and Digital Monitoring: New Directions in European Agri-Food System Transformation". The presentation highlighted emerging trends in the transformation of European agri-food systems, focusing on agroecology, biodiversity conservation and the application of digital monitoring technologies.

The keynote lecture was followed by two masterclasses. The first: "The ITINERIS project in a nutshell", was delivered by Alberto Basset, Acting Director of the LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre. The session presented the project's main objectives, activities and future perspectives.

The second masterclass: "Overview of the LTER-LIFE project", was presented by Prof. Dr. Peter H. van Tienderen (Netherlands), who introduced participants to the project's main activities, aimed at supporting long-term ecological research and strengthening European research infrastructures.

During the conference, all participants gathered for the traditional group photograph, symbolizing the strong international partnership and successful collaboration among the participating institutions.

The final keynote lecture of the day was delivered by Dr. Anne Fouilloux, Chief Technology Officer of LifeWatch ERIC, on "Foundational computer science at the heart of biodiversity science". The lecture demonstrated the crucial role of fundamental computer science in advancing biodiversity research and supporting the management and analysis of scientific data.

10 July - Closing Day
The final day of the conference featured two masterclasses. The first: "Addressing environmental challenges through large-scale data analysis in a shared virtual lab: NaaVRE Demo", was presented by Koen Greuell (Netherlands). Participants were introduced to the capabilities of the NaaVRE virtual laboratory for analysing large-scale environmental datasets and supporting collaborative scientific research.

The second masterclass: "The RECUP DAS project in a nutshell", was delivered by Dr. Christos Arvanitidis, Chief Executive Officer of LifeWatch ERIC. The presentation outlined the project's main objectives, expected outcomes and its contribution to the development of European research infrastructures.

The conference concluded with a closing session attended by the Vice-Rector for Scientific and International Activities of Agricultural University Prof. Dr. Dimo Atanasov, the Chief Executive Officer of LifeWatch ERIC, Dr. Christos Arvanitidis and the Acting Director of the LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, Alberto Basset.

During the closing session, the conference organizers summarized the key highlights of BEeS 2026, emphasizing the importance of international scientific collaboration and outlining opportunities for future joint initiatives and research projects in the fields of biodiversity, agroecology, and sustainable development.

The conference BEeS 2026 demonstrates the shared commitment of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, LifeWatch ERIC, and their international partners to strengthening scientific collaboration, advancing biodiversity research, and developing innovative solutions for a more sustainable and resilient future.

The conference BEeS 2026 demonstrates the shared commitment of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, LifeWatch ERIC, and their international partners to strengthening scientific collaboration, advancing biodiversity research, and developing innovative solutions for a more sustainable and resilient future.