From 22 to 24 April 2026, the EuroMedMig PhD Network gathered in Sousse, Tunisia, to celebrate its First Annual Conference. Over three days, supervisors, ESRs, Associated Partners, members of the external advisory board, and invited guests came together to address the most pressing issues related to our Work Package 1, which focuses on the governance, politics, and policies of migration in the Mediterranean. The theme was explored through different formats, including keynote speeches, training sessions, and methodology workshops. Senior and junior researchers, both from within and beyond academia, had the opportunity to exchange views and knowledge, as well as their challenges and doubts regarding how research is, or should be, conducted in the Mediterranean.

 The event started with a pre-event on Wednesday the 22nd, where one of our partners from the University of Liège, Professor Hassan Bousetta, presented his book Entre deux Rives: Maroc-Belgique. Histoires parallèles, destins croisés (Between Two Shores: Morocco–Belgium. Parallel Histories, Intertwined Destinies). This session was conceived both as a celebration and as a way to foster collaboration between the two countries - and the two shores of the Mediterranean - by reflecting on their shared histories and inherited memories.

On the 23rd, after the official and warm welcome by the hosts—particularly Professor Hassan Boubakri from the University of Sousse and its President, Professor Lotfi Belkacem—the conference began with a keynote lecture by Professor Amade M’charek, Chair of Anthropology of Science at the University of Amsterdam. Her lecture took us on a journey back and forth from the beaches of Zarzis, a southern Tunisian harbour town, to forensic laboratories, helping us understand the dynamics of “border deaths” as a consequence of the militarization of Europe’s borders and its migration policies.

Later that same day, we had the opportunity to connect these reflections to practice through a roundtable on the research–policy nexus led by Makram Ouaiss, Director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies and a member of our advisory board. Unfortunately, the session had to be held in a hybrid format, as the ongoing conflict in the region prevented safe travel from Lebanon. Nevertheless, it provided a valuable space to discuss how research can contribute to policy, the main challenges involved, and to give ESRs the opportunity to reflect on how, and to what extent, their own work engages with policy debates.

Moreover, the event offered an important opportunity to clarify partnerships and bring ESRs together as a real community, helping them envision how they can collaborate. We also discussed ways to improve the dissemination of outputs both within and beyond academia, through initiatives such as the podcast and blog. One of the highlights of the encounter was undoubtedly the ESRs’ methodological workshop, which took place in two parallel sessions over the two days. This gave us the chance to hear about their research methodologies—their aspirations, as well as their constraints and doubts—and to provide guidance and feedback from both peers and more senior researchers.

We also introduced thematic sessions within the workshops to support their ongoing training: one focused on the comparative method, and another on the opportunities and challenges of conducting research in the Maghreb. Beyond getting to know the project’s partners better, ESRs had the opportunity to learn directly from their experiences.

Overall, the encounter encouraged and fostered a space to deepen and broaden cooperation. It also allowed us to experience and put into practice the construction of this Mediterranean space, through the exchange of languages, cultures, and knowledge that is key to shaping the region as a space of cosmovision and genuine regional thinking, which is, ultimately, the core objective of the project.