Dates: 15 - 16 October 2026
Location: University of Freiburg
Cities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are increasingly exposed to climate-related health risks — from heatwaves and flooding to air pollution and climate-sensitive infectious diseases. These risks fall hardest on the most vulnerable urban populations: informal outdoor workers, migrants, and residents of informal settlements, who face high exposure with limited protection and poor access to health services. Yet despite growing global attention, the evidence base for urban climate-health research remains uneven, with significant gaps in LMIC contexts and limited translation of evidence into policy and action.
This two-day scientific workshop brings together researchers from public health, environmental science, urban studies, occupational health, and related fields to address these gaps. Through expert keynotes, facilitated working groups, and structured action planning sessions, participants will map current evidence, identify priority research questions, and develop concrete collaborative research plans.
The workshop is organised around three interdisciplinary working groups:
- Group 1 — Urban Climate-Health Risks and Vulnerabilities: Examining who is most at risk in LMIC cities and why, with a focus on under-researched populations and evidence gaps.
- Group 2 — Heat Health Action Plans and Climate Adaptation in Cities: Exploring what effective heat-health planning looks like in practice, and how to better connect evidence with urban climate adaptation strategies.
- Group 3 — Public Health, Implementation and LMIC Contexts: Addressing the barriers between research evidence and policy action in cities with limited resources, and identifying what is realistic to achieve in the short term.
The workshop will produce a set of draft Collaborative Research Action Plans — one per group — each including a research question, methodology, LMIC study sites, and a 6-month milestone. A final output of a collaborative research project or publication is intended.
We warmly welcome participation from early-career and senior researchers across disciplines and we particularly value exchange across fields, perspectives, and regional contexts.
Registration and participation information
Places are limited to 30 participants. Interested individuals are kindly asked to register by 01.08.2026. As part of the registration, applicants will be asked to indicate their preferred working group and submit a short motivation statement (max. 250 words) describing their research background and interest in the workshop. Applications will be reviewed and participants will be selected by the organising team based on specific criteria and balance across the three interest areas.
Participation in the workshop, including catering during the event, is free of charge. Selected participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.
Participants will receive confirmation of their place by 01.09.2026.