Vision
Steps towards the creation of a Mediterranean Geosciences Union (MedGU)
Mediterranean Geosciences Union (MedGU) aims to create a unique federation that brings together and represents the Mediterranean geoscience community specializing in the areas of Earth, planetary and space sciences.
MedGU will be structured along the lines of AGU (American Geophysical Union) and EGU (European Geosciences Union).
The plan is to establish a large organization for the Mediterranean region that is more influential than any one local geoscience society with the objective of fostering fundamental geoscience research, as well as applied research that addresses key societal and environmental challenges.
MedGU’s overarching vision is to contribute to the realization of a sustainable future for humanity and for the planet.
The creation of this union will give the Earth sciences more influence in policy-making and in the implementation of solutions to preserve the natural environment and to create more sustainable societies for the people living in the Mediterranean region. It is hoped that the union will also provide opportunities to Mediterranean geoscientists to undertake interdisciplinary collaborative research. MedGU plans to recognize the work of the most active geoscientists with a number of awards and medals.
Although MedGU has not yet been officially inaugurated, its first annual meeting was organized in November 2021 in Istanbul (MedGU-21) and the second meeting was organized in Marrakech (MedU-22). This has provided a forum to achieve a consensus for the formation of this non-profit international union of geoscientists. Membership will be open to individuals who have a professional engagement with the Earth, planetary and space sciences and related studies, including students and retired seniors.
Nabil Khélifi (MedGU Founder, Germany) and Attila Çiner (MedGU Interim President, Türkiye) have taken an ambitious approach to the launch of the third MedGU 3rd Annual Meeting 2023 and hope to develop it the near future into the largest international geoscience event in the Mediterranean and the broader MENA region. Its mission is to support geoscientists based in this region by establishing a Global Geoscience Congress.
It is expected that hundreds of participants from all over the world will attend this third MedGU Annual Meeting 2023, making it one of the largest and most prominent geosciences event in the region. The meeting’s sessions will cover a wide range of topics with more details available on the Conference Tracks.
This third MedGU 2023 Annual Meeting will have a "hybrid" format, with both in-person and virtual participation. Springer, its publishing partner, will publish the proceedings in a book series (indexed in Scopus) as well as a number of special issues in diverse scientific journals (for more details, see Publications).
MedGU Founder
In recent years, as in-house Senior Editor for Springer Nature for the Middle East and Africa, I have had the opportunity to meet many successful geoscientists from the region and I have come to realize how difficult it is for many of them to travel to international conferences to show their work and build collaborations. It is my belief that a large event organized through a single federation representing the geoscience community around the Mediterranean and in the broader MENA region could be of enormous benefit.
Nabil Khélifi
Expert Publisher / Senior EditorMedGU Founder
MedGU-23 Supervisor
MedGU (Interim) President
Attila Çiner
Professor, Istanbul Technical UniversityMedGU (Interim) President
MedGU-23 Chair
We aim to create a unique federation that brings together the Mediterranean geoscience community. MedGU’s overarching vision is to contribute to the realization of a sustainable future for the people living in the Mediterranean region. It is hoped that the union will provide opportunities to Mediterranean geoscientists to undertake interdisciplinary collaborative research.