On the occasion of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), organised in June 2025 in Nice, IMREDD, through its UX for Smart Life Chair, affirmed its role as an innovation laboratory for a sustainable future for marine environments. Several projects supported by the institute have helped to highlight the links between ecological transition, speculative design and emerging technologies.

Sciences sur Mer - An immersive exploration of the future of the oceans

As part of the Sciences sur Mer - Un océan de savoirs festival, organised alongside the UNOC in Villefranche-sur-Mer's Green Zone, IMREDD and the User eXperience for Smart Life Chair offered two key presentations:

• A prospective short film generated by artificial intelligence, screened on 8 and 13 June, offering a vision of the future of human life in, on and under the ocean by 2065. The scenario, developed as part of the Future Human Habitat project, explored the conversion of oil platforms, the emergence of marine habitats and innovations in coastal adaptation.
• An interactive workshop on marine biomimicry, held from 9 to 13 June, where visitors were invited to co-create ocean habitats inspired by living ecosystems. At the crossroads of design and education, this experience raised awareness of eco-design and the strategies used by living organisms to design the habitat of the future.

International commitment at the UNOC: Beyond Extraction«

Among the contributions officially registered with the United Nations is the “Beyond Extraction: The Next Chapter for Oil Rigs in the Barents Sea”.”, a project run by IMREDD and the FANB high school (Monaco). This educational project invites students to rethink the use of offshore oil platforms as regenerative living spaces, integrating design, sustainability and the circular economy.

Summer school: imagining the habitat of the future on and under water

Following on from these initiatives, IMREDD is organising its experimental international summer school from 21 to 31 July 2025: 5 Oceans, 5 Colonies - Sculpting Future Living Architecture On and Below Water

This intensive, cross-disciplinary programme will bring together students, researchers and young professionals from the fields of architecture, design, engineering and environmental sciences. Through collaborative workshops, generative artificial intelligence tools and a final exhibition, participants will imagine future forms of marine life that are resilient and sustainable.

One Health in Nice - Wellbeing and sustainability in the blue economy

On 10 June, IMREDD hosted the B2B event ONE HEALTH: Well-Being and Sustainability in the Blue Economy, co-organised with the Italian Consulate General in Nice. This international event brought together researchers, entrepreneurs and institutions to discuss the link between health, marine ecosystems and blue innovation.

Designing tomorrow's oceans

Through these different initiatives - between immersive creation, bio-inspired design, AI and civic engagement - IMREDD is pursuing its mission to support environmental transitions. It is reaffirming its role as an interface between research, innovation and society, to think of new ways of living in the oceans in a sustainable and creative way.