17th World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress
Chambéry (France), 10-13 March 2026
The 17th World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress will be held in Chambéry (France) from 10 to 13 March 2026. The overall theme for the Congress is "Ensuring road excellence in all seasons".
We look forward to welcoming you to Chambéry 2026!
>> Visit the official Congress website: https://www.piarc-chambery2026.com/en/
The call for papers for the 2026 Congress is open until 31 January 2025.
Contribute to the scientific programme by submitting your abstract (400 words) from among the 23 topics proposed!
Before submitting an abstract, please read the detailed description of the topics of the call for papers by downloading this file: Topics of the call for papers.
For the 17th edition of the World Winter Road Congress, to be held from 10 to 13 March 2026 in Chambéry, France, PIARC is launching a call for individual papers on 23 specific topics, identified with our International Technical Committees to meet the needs of road administrations and practitioners worldwide.
The Congress is open to all countries, as it will focus on three themes that are relevant in all latitudes:
- Winter Service
- Resilience
- Decarbonization
About submissions
Abstracts may be submitted in English, Spanish and French, which are the official languages of the Congress. Please note that the English version will be used for the evaluation; it is therefore requested that you attach this version (possibly with the help of an automated tool).
They must correspond to one of the 23 call topics.
They must not exceed 400 words in length.
All papers submitted must be original and available for publication. Previously published papers will not be accepted. All references of a political, commercial or advertising nature must be excluded from articles, and the use of a brand name in the title or abstract is prohibited.
Documents must present case studies, research results and/or practical experiences related to the topics of this call.
Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously by PIARC's Technical Committees. Authors will be notified of decisions by 15 April 2025. Evaluation criteria include originality of content, technical interest, applicability and transferability of results.
Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be invited to submit a full paper by 15 July 2025.
All accepted papers will be presented in poster sessions and included in the Congress proceedings (subject to registration of at least one of the co-authors). Outstanding contributions will be selected for oral presentation during the technical sessions of the Congress. Prizes will be awarded for the best papers.
Key dates
- Call for papers: September 2024
- Deadline for submission of abstracts by authors: 31 January 2025
- Notice of assessment of abstracts: 5 April 2025
- Deadline for authors to submit full-text articles: 15 July 2025
- Notice of assessment of articles: 31 October 2025
- 17th World Winter Road Congress, Chambéry 2026: 10 to 13 March 2026
Contribute to the scientific programme of the 17th World Winter Road Congress by submitting your abstract on one of the 23 topics on offer!
Deadline for submitting abstracts: 31 January 2025
Before submitting an abstract, please read the detailed description of the topics of the call for papers by downloading this file: Topics of the call for papers.
The town of Chambéry, which has a population of 60,000, is the former capital of the Dukes of Savoy and is famous for its Elephant Fountain.
Chambéry is very accessible, thanks in particular to the Lyon and Geneva airports, which are just 45 minutes away by car, the high-speed train (less than 3 hours from Paris), the two Alpine motorways and the two emblematic tunnels connecting Chambéry to Switzerland and Italy.
The specific characteristics of this region have encouraged the development of a veritable mountain ecosystem around Chambéry. More than 3,000 entrepreneurs, employees, students, researchers, engineers and lecturers dealing with all types of mountain-related subjects - economics, science, tourism, geology, the environment, law and safety - are concentrated within a 30km radius of the town.
This Alpine town is a veritable hub for the 60 ski resorts in Savoie, France's leading mountain destination, and is at the centre of a department concerned with the challenges of road resilience.
Winter service in Savoie offers many opportunities for technical visits!
The motorway and national road network serving the Savoie region requires the departmental authorities to maintain more than 3,000 km of roads, a third of which (900 km) are located at altitudes of more than 1,000 metres. A control office run jointly by the central administration and the departmental authorities carries out surveillance activities, coordinates and manages traffic flows, and supervises the tunnels with no interruption from Albertville.
The 2026 Winter Service Organising Committee is made up of:
- A Board of Directors led by Sandrine Chinzi (First Delegate for France) and Thierry Repentin (President of Greater Chambéry and Mayor of Chambéry) and including representatives of public authorities (State, Region, Department, Urban Community, City of Chambéry), PIARC France, private partners (motorway operators, road sector companies, equipment manufacturers)
- An Executive Committee made up of representatives of local authorities and companies involved in winter service and road resilience management.
We look forward to welcoming you to Chambéry 2026!
>> Visit the official Congress website: https://www.piarc-chambery2026.com/en/
The Organising Committee of the World Winter Road Congress is made up of :
- a Board of Directors co-chaired by Sandrine Chinzi (First PIARC Delegate for France) and Thierry Repentin (President of Greater Chambéry and Mayor of Chambéry) and comprising representatives of public authorities (State, Region, Department, Urban Community, City of Chambéry), PIARC France, PIARC and private partners (motorway operators, road sector companies, equipment manufacturers);
- an Executive Committee made up of representatives of local authorities and companies involved in winter service and road resilience management.