The Bridging the North Sea (BtNS) network has deciced to prepare a research programm on the research themes and questions outlined in the Research Assessment as published by the network in 2024. This document describes the project’s goal: to better understand and preserve evidence of connectivity across the North Sea during the Roman period. For now, the BtNS network will focus on mappingcoastal communities and landscapes, shipwrecks and sea lanes, the study of material culture, and the mobility of people. In the first months of 2026, the network will investigate the scale and partners with which this research will be organized.

Additionally, the BtNS network has been invited by the Straits Committee to jointly explore ways to strengthen the network. Beyond the plans for research, the partners also aim to share stories about travelers to the North Sea coasts with the current residents of the North Sea regions. One of the goals is to establish a collaboration among museums from the various BtNS regions.

These future plans were developed during the 2025 Annual Meeting, held at the DoverMuseum and organized by Kent County Council. At this event, the Cultuurforum and the National Museums of Scotland (UK) were welcomed as new participants in the Bridging the North Sea network.The Annual Meeting was enriched with an excursion to explore Dover’s Roman treasures, including visits to the Dover Museum, the roman Painted House ans the Roman Lighthouse near Dover Castle. This lighthouse serves as a powerful symbol of collaboration among the North Sea regions. From this vantage point, delegates could see the opposite shore of the Channel, where the network was founded in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 2023.