Envisioning the Future of Marine Biosphere Research

As IMBeR (Integrated Marine Biosphere Research) approaches the conclusion of its decade-long journey from 2016 to 2025, the conference of IMBeR Synthesis and Future Planning (Future Oceans 3, FO3) was organised to explore three core themes: Looking Inward, Looking Outward, and Looking Forward.

During the three days of FO3, Day 1: Looking Inward focused on reflecting on IMBeR’s scientific achievements over the past decade, with invited presentations on IMBeR’s three grand challenges and synthesis overviews from its regional programmes, working groups, endorsed projects, and study groups. Day 2: Looking Outward featured a partnership panel discussion on interactions with relevant scientific projects, programs, organizations, and initiatives, followed by parallel sessions on specific science themes. Day 3: Looking Forward built on the first two days, with group discussions on pre-identified topics to envision the future of marine biosphere research. Guiding questions included the importance of each topic, IMBeR’s unique position to add value, and opportunities for collaboration and networking with related programs and initiatives.

This document provides a summary of the group discussions on each topic during Day 3 (Looking Forward) to inform planning for the next phase of IMBeR beyond 2025.