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GEM took part in the 18th European Conference on Earthquake Engineering (ECEE2026) in Berlin from 14 to 18 September, contributing through theme lectures, scientific presentations, session chairing and an exhibition booth. Presentations covered developments in global risk modelling, their engineering applications and new approaches to using observational data.

In her theme lecture, Helen Crowley, GEM Secretary General, described how GEM’s global models are expanding in geographic coverage, the hazards and losses assessed, and future risk projections. Ocean-wide hazard coverage, liquefaction, infrastructure exposure, embodied carbon losses and future risk projections illustrated the widening scope of assessment.

Related presentations examined implications for urban development and infrastructure planning, including the exposure of transportation networks to earthquake shaking and ground failure. Work on damage and reconstruction also examined the environmental consequences of earthquakes.

GEM’s contributions covered developments in global exposure and vulnerability models, approaches to damage accumulation during earthquake sequences, and estimates of population displacement. A dedicated special session on vulnerability modelling examined applications to regional risk assessment.

Vitor Silva, GEM’s Head of Risk Engineering, discussed in his theme lecture how impact assessments can account for changes in cities and new observations. Earth observation and artificial intelligence offer ways to develop more detailed information on the built environment, while benchmarking helps evaluate the resulting models. OpenQuake provides a shared platform for applying these developments in hazard and loss calculations.

A special session on the 2026 Venezuela and Colombia earthquakes, co-chaired by Helen Crowley and Ana Acevedo of EAFIT University, connected modelling with evidence from recent events. With investigations still underway, contributions covered rapid assessment, ground-motion analysis, and virtual and field reconnaissance. A separate article in this newsletter issue provides more detail and a link to the full recording.

At GEM’s booth, staff presented models, datasets and OpenQuake resources to participants throughout the week. Researchers, engineers, and partner organisations also discussed how they use the tools and datasets with GEM staff.