ICDP Newsletter 2026 #2

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Dear Colleagues, The ICDP community has begun 2026 with remarkable energy. With a steady stream of new proposals, ongoing drilling operations, and collaborative workshops worldwide, the program continues to demonstrate its robust scientific foundation and remains in full swing! This season’s highlight is our renewed and strengthened focus on education and training, which remain central to ICDP’s mission of sustaining excellence and innovation in scientific drilling. The upcoming ICDP 2026 Training Course at the KTB deep drilling site exemplifies this commitment, while the ICDP Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop 2026 will bring together early‑career researchers to develop the next generation of continental scientific drilling experts. In addition to these milestones, ICDP has further strengthened its support structures for proponents. These include the recently introduced ‘Fast-track proposal’ category and updated ‘Pre-proposal’ guidelines, which facilitate the transition from concept to implementation. We are already seeing the benefits of these improvements. Let us carry this shared enthusiasm and collaborative spirit through the year — and as usual, let’s keep the drill bits rotating! Marco Bohnhoff ICDP Executive Director

ICDP Proposal Review: A Strong and Steady Year The latest ICDP submission round brought in an impressive all-time high of 23 scientific proposals, showing the continued strong engagement of our community. The ICDP Science Advisory Group already reviewed all submissions, including 8 Full Proposals, 10 Pre-Proposals, 3 Workshop Proposals, and 3 Land-to-Sea (L2S) Proposals. Recommendations were issued for the Full, Workshop, and L2S Proposals, and the decisions on the Pre-Proposals will be communicated to the PIs shortly. The ICDP Executive Committee and the Assembly of Governors will meet between 18–23 May 2026 in Seville, Spain to discuss and decide on the Full, Workshop, and L2S proposals submitted by the 15 January deadline.
Upcoming Events
1. ICDP at EGU 2026 ICDP will be present at the EGU General Assembly 2026 in Vienna from 3 to 8 May. Visit us at our joint “Scientific Drilling” booth #50/51 in the exhibition area, open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Friday from 10:00 to 13:00. We also invite you to the joint ICDP–IODP³–ECORD Town Hall on Monday, 4 May at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Doors open at 18:30, with talks starting at 19:00. In addition, don’t miss our signature session ITS5.1/CL0.6 – Achievements and Perspectives in Scientific Ocean and Continental Drilling, co-convened by ICDP OSG member Cindy Kunkel and ICDP ECR Net member Kazuki Matsuyama, on Tuesday, 5 May – Room 2.62, 14:00–15:45 (Orals) and Hall X5, 16:15–18:00 (Posters on site).

2. JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting – Chiba, Japan ICDP will take part in the JpGU Annual Meeting 2026 in Chiba, Japan. You can find us at booth #40, attend the J-DESC–ICDP Town Hall Meeting on the evening of 25 May, and our session Hard-Rock Drilling Science: Continental and Deep-Sea Drilling, and Ophiolite (S-CG60) on Wednesday, 27 May in Room A20. Additionally, representing the J-DESC and ICDP Japan community, Moe Kyaw will deliver A Quarter-Century Journey of Japan’s Contribution and Cooperation within the ICDP on 26 May. We look forward to meeting colleagues in Chiba and sharing ideas with the wider scientific drilling community.
3. ICDP ECR Workshop – Next Generation The second ICDP Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop – Next Generation will be held 21–23 May 2026 in Chiba, Japan, just before the JpGU–AGU Joint Meeting. We are delighted by the strong international interest from early‑career scientists keen to join the ICDP community. The workshop serves as the entry point to the ICDP Mentorship Program, connecting participants with experienced mentors and advancing career development in continental scientific drilling. We are excited to greet the selected participants in Chiba! The ICDP ECR Network has also launched a new podcast, "Into the Core." More information and listening links are available on the ICDP ECR Network page. Tune in!
4. ICDP 2026 Training Course at the KTB, Windischeschenbach ICDP will hold its annual training course 7–12 June 2026 at the historic KTB deep drilling site in Windischeschenbach, Germany. The six-day course offers a hands-on introduction to the full life cycle of a scientific drilling project, combining expert lectures, practical sessions, and interactive group work. This year’s program will explore key topics such as drilling engineering, borehole logging, and proposal development.

5. Workshop: Deep Chew Bahir Drilling Project – Getting to the Bottom of the Quaternary The Deep Chew Bahir Drilling Project (DeepCHB) workshop will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 30 June to 3 July 2026. The Chew Bahir basin in southern Ethiopia is an exceptional archive for studying climate, tectonics, ecosystems, and human history during the Pleistocene. Building on earlier successes, DeepCHB plans to drill to 1,200 m and open up new interdisciplinary research opportunities.
6. Workshop Call: Horoman Mantle Drilling and Carbon Injection (Horoman DC) Applications are open for the Horoman DC workshop, taking place 25–28 August 2026 in Hokkaido, Japan. This international ICDP workshop will develop a drilling proposal targeting the Horoman peridotite massif, with a focus on mantle carbonation processes through CO₂ injection experiments. The project addresses key questions in global carbon sink dynamics and advances research on subsurface CO₂ sequestration. The application deadline is 8 May 2026.
7. Workshop: PLUS The workshop Probing the Lithosphere Under Samoa: A 2500-meter drill core to explore hotspot-trench interactions, continental recycling, the deep biosphere, and geothermal resources (PLUS) will bring together researchers to develop the scientific concept and next steps for this new ICDP initiative. It offers a platform for discussion, collaboration, and shaping the project’s future direction within the ICDP community. Further details, including the date and venue, will be announced soon.

1. Weihe Basin Deep Drilling Project (WEIHE) Drilling began in Weinan, China, on 28 July 2025, withstanding both 40 °C summer heat and heavy rains. Progress remains steady, with the WEIHE team retrieving 13–15 meters per day using wireline coring technology. The 30-meter drill rig has become a hub of outreach, hosting geoscientists, students, and summer school participants. Drilling continues toward the 3,000-meter target depth – so far, WEIHE reached 2,000 meters depth!
2. DEEP2026: Deep Earth Exploration Meets TopoAsia The 2026 International Symposium on Deep Earth Exploration and TopoAsia will take place in Beijing, China, 7–9 November 2026. Following the long-standing tradition with our Chinese colleagues, ICDP will act as a co-host of the event and a scientific drilling session is currently being planned as part of the program. Abstract submission will open on 15 July and close on 1 October 2026.