The IAHR Fluvial Hydraulics Committee is inviting interested parties to submit proposals for hosting the 14th International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, River Flow 2028. Organised since 2002 under the Fluvial Hydraulics Committee (FHC) of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), the River Flow Conference Series has become one of the main international forums for dissemination of research and industrial practice on fluvial hydraulics and river engineering. 

This conference will build on success of its previous conferences in this series, which were held in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium, 2002), Naples (Italy, 2004), Lisbon (Portugal, 2006), Cesme (Izmir, Turkey, 2008), Braunschweig (Germany, 2010), San Jose (Costa Rica, 2012), Lausanne (Switzerland, 2014), Saint-Louis (Missouri, USA, 2016), Lyon (France, 2018), Delft (online, The Netherlands, 2020), Ottawa (online, Canada, 2022) and Liverpool (2024). The 13th conference is scheduled to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in June 30-July 4, 2026.

The River Flow conference aims to present the latest advances and innovative approaches in fundamental and applied research on fluvial hydraulics, taking into account meteorological, hydrological, geological, and socio-economic aspects worldwide. The conference will as well cover issues related, but not limited to: River morphodynamics and management, Hydraulic structures and impacts on local and catchment sediment transport, flow regime and ecology, Sediment, and pollutant dynamics in rivers, Fluid Mechanics, numerical modelling and two-phase flow, Climate change and adaptation, Monitoring techniques and AI.

Following on the tradition and success of previous editions of River Flow conferences, River Flow conference will feature a day devoted to Master Classes for young researchers, daily keynote lectures, ample time for the presentation and discussion of accepted contributions (full papers or extended abstracts), and the presentation of the Stephen E. Coleman Award distinguishing the best paper first authored by a young researcher.

The conference website will provide the main information needed regarding registration, abstract submission, and key dates. The RiverFlow conference strives to maintain its long-standing broad international recognition as a prominent platform for the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field of fluvial hydraulics. The conference considers its activities in the wider context of river systems engineering, with the ambition of developing and promoting a sustainable and integrated river management.

The proposal format is fairly flexible, but it is a good practice to include the following information:

1. Conference title (sub-themes), location, dates and duration

Five days is suitable including the Master course in the first day and a one-day technical tour. The code of practice is to organise a RiverFlow conference during a comfortable season of the venue site. It should be guaranteed that the selected conference venue is in a university with academic environment and pre-booked for proposed dates. Country /region has a higher priority if not hosting previously.

2. Proponent team

The proponent team should preferably consist of a wider hydraulics community within the country/region including relevant universities, research institutes and/or other stakeholders. Specify the conference chair and co-chairs including their affiliations and short description of their professional profile. It should be clearly stated which organization is the main conference guarantor ultimately responsible for the event, including financing issues. Description of how the team will be connected to the Fluvial Hydraulics Committee during the preparation phase etc. is suggested.

3. Motivation of the proponent team to organise RiverFlow conference

An important paragraph showing the will, the motivation and the capability of the proponent team to organize the high-quality event.

4. Conference organization and management (Local Organisation Committee, Programme committee, International scientific committee)

The description of both the technical organisation and scientific program management. The final list of committee members is not necessarily expected at this stage. The proponent team should provide insight into the management structure, the particular responsibilities, the procedure of selection and nomination into the committees. The scientific committee's structure should take into account the range of conference topics and also geographical, gender and age distribution of the members.

5. Proposed conference programme and format

The specification of the preliminary conference program includes the list/number of keynote lectures, parallel sessions, special sessions, workshops, technical exhibition, technical tours. The proponents are asked to specify the duration of the event, to specify the presentation formats including the format of poster sessions. It is also welcome to provide novel ideas and formats within the conference program. It will be an in-person conference, however, online participation can be also included.

6. Stephen E. Coleman Award competition

The award has to be organized in close cooperation with the FHC(Fluvial Hydraulics Committee). The proponent has to provide to the award the publicity and the relevant time slots within the conference program. The proponent has to also cover the cost for participation (conference fee, accommodation) of the award winner and should provide free registration to three finalists in 2026.

7. Selection of contributions (abstract/paper review) and publishing of papers/proceedings

The proponent should describe the submission procedure and evaluation phase including the preliminary dates. It should be also presented in which form the contributions will be published (including the copyrights) and if the organizers will plan/offer the post-conference publishing of selected papers in peer-review journals.

8. Conference venue (meeting rooms)

The RiverFlow conference usually attracts 400-500 participants. This should be taken into account when choosing the appropriate conference venue with one plenary hall and other 3-4 meeting rooms for parallel sessions.

9. Accommodation (with approximate 2026 pricing)

A list of accommodation capacities in the near vicinity of the venue in the whole range of price levels. Indication of low budget accommodation for students is necessary.

10. Financial aspects

The preliminary budget should provide insight into expected revenues (registration fees, sponsors, local authorities) and realistic outcomes structured into the main categories such as venue rentals, catering, social programs, labor costs etc.

11. Social program and post-conference tours

Show why to come to your city and country.

12. Any other points you may consider important

Mandatory requirements

The proposals (in English) must be submitted electronically in PDF format, and the size of the file should not exceed 20 MB; the proposal layout should not exceed 20 pages, using 12 point font. The proposals must reach the FHC Chair George Constantinescu (george-constantinescu@uiowa.edu) by October 30th, 2025. If you intend to submit a proposal, please contact Prof. Constantinescu, ideally by June 30, 2025, and a full WORD Template of the proposal will be emailed to the person submitting a full proposal.  

The FH Committee will review the proposals and invite selected proponents to present their ideas at a special FH committee meeting. The final decision will be made after the presentation. If you require any clarification of the proposal specifications or any questions about the process, please contact Jenny Lu ( jenny.lu@iahr.org) and George Constantinescu (george-constantinescu@uiowa.edu).