Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble 2026: GEM and IRIS take geopolitical debate to a new level
Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble, 20 and 21 November 2026
Free admission, open to all. Full programme and registration on the IRIS website.
Rivalry between China and the United States, the war in Ukraine, a reshaping Middle East, artificial intelligence and military technologies, war economy… On 20 and 21 November 2026, GEM and the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) are holding the 2nd edition of Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble. After a first edition that brought together nearly 2,000 participants, the event is scaling up, with 12 round tables (compared with 4 in 2025) and more than 50 speakers. The event is free and open to all, but registration is required.
Understanding the world to make better decisions
The 2nd edition of Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble, organised by GEM and IRIS, brings together diplomats, military officers, journalists, business leaders and academics for 12 round tables on the major shifts reshaping the world.
Geopolitical crises are no longer distant events. They directly affect businesses, regions, supply chains, public policy and our daily lives. Trade tensions, technological rivalries and international conflicts can upend business strategies and the global balance of power. In this context, understanding international power dynamics has become essential to anticipating and making decisions.
That is the whole ambition of Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble: an annual forum for reflection and debate, free and open to all on registration, to decode how the world is changing and inform the decisions of businesses, institutions and citizens.
From 4 to 12 round tables: a 2nd edition on a new scale
In 2025, the first edition of Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble brought together nearly 2,000 participants, on site and online, for 4 round tables. Building on this initial success, GEM and IRIS are expanding the event’s ambition in 2026, with 12 round tables (three times as many as in 2025) and more than 50 speakers.
A programme focused on the major shifts reshaping the world
The event opens on Friday 20 November with speeches by Pascal Boniface, Director of IRIS, Fouziya Bouzerda, Director General of GEM, and Laurence Ruffin, Mayor of Grenoble. The Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble Book Prize will be awarded on this occasion, ahead of the opening lecture by Pascal Boniface.
The round tables address today’s major geopolitical issues: rivalry between China and the United States, the war in Ukraine, the reshaping of the Middle East, global governance, new military technologies (in particular drones and artificial intelligence), energy issues, the geopolitics of the seas and oceans, and the war economy.
Speakers include former ambassadors, general officers, journalists and business leaders, among them Nicole Gnesotto, Anne Lauvergeon, General Vincent Desportes and Pierre Micheletti, President of SOS Méditerranée.
An event for students, preparatory class students and businesses
For business school students, future managers and professionals, the event offers a better understanding of the geopolitical issues shaping corporate strategy, such as trade tensions, supply chain security, economic sovereignty and technological rivalries.
The debates also echo several themes of the geopolitics syllabus taught in France’s ECG preparatory classes (the two-year programmes that prepare students for business school entrance exams). They give students an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and test what they have learned against expert analysis. Several round tables are moderated by preparatory class teachers, including Alain Joyeux, President of APHEC.
For businesses, institutions and citizens, it is an opportunity to step back from the news and talk directly with experts.
GEM and IRIS: more than 15 years of shared commitment
IRIS is one of France’s leading think tanks specialising in geopolitics. For more than 15 years, it has built an academic partnership with GEM that has made the School a pioneer in integrating geopolitics into management education.
Convinced that understanding international power dynamics is an essential skill for future decision-makers, GEM has gradually placed geopolitics at the heart of its educational project, notably through its GEM–IRIS Sup’ double degree.
Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble are the natural extension of this shared ambition.
Frequently asked questions about Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble 2026
The event takes place on Friday 20 November 2026, from 2 pm, and on the morning of Saturday 21 November 2026.
The event is organised by GEM and IRIS (French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs), academic partners for more than 15 years.
Yes. Les Géopolitiques de Grenoble is free and open to all, with registration on the IRIS website.
The 2026 edition features 12 round tables, compared with 4 in 2025, and more than 50 speakers. The first edition brought together 1,800 participants.
The detailed programme of round tables and speakers is available on the IRIS website.
