<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>The second edition of “Widening the Big Blue Horizon” International Conference, on Innovative Practices and Policy Pathways for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, will take place on <strong>3–4 December 2026</strong> in Burgas, Bulgaria. It will be a hybrid event.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>The conferene, organised by the BCThubs Horizon Europe project, aims to bring together experts and stakeholders from academic and research institutes,  the maritime research and innovation industry as well as the public sector, aspiring to build a constructive forum  for knowledge and experience exchange and the discussion of current approaches in support of the research, preservation, accessibility and management of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH). In this context, it will be an opportunity to present state-of-the-art technologies, results and lessons learnt of research projects and enhance capacity building for the protection and valorization of UCH. </p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- wp:heading --></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key dates</h2> <p><!-- /wp:heading --></p> <p><!-- wp:list --></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --></p> <li>Abstracts Extended Deadline: <s>15 February 2026</s> <strong>1 March 2026</strong></li> <p><!-- /wp:list-item --></p> <p><!-- wp:list-item --></p> <li>Registration opening: TBC</li> <p><!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <p><!-- /wp:list --></p> <p><!-- wp:heading --></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More information</h2> <p><!-- /wp:heading --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>For further information, please vitst the conference website: <a href="https://bcthubs.eu/conference2026/">Widening the Big Blue Horizon 2nd International Conference | BCThubs</a>.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p>