It’s not too late to register for DSA2026, in person or online – join us!

“DSA2026 is an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s distinctive position in the development landscape: a country with its own complex histories of colonialism, independence, migration and economic transformation,” says Prof. Supriya Garikipati, Centre for Sustainable Development, UCD.

Find out more about what makes the Centre for Sustainable Development unique and learn about their partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

We are delighted to have the support of Fáilte Ireland – the country’s national tourism agency. Their great website website will help you plan day trips close to the University College Dublin campus. You can visit the Sandymount Strand beach or, in Dublin itself, visit the Book of Kells or the Guinness Factory – plus many other unique attractions and sights.

Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland is the national research and innovation funding agency in Ireland. They’re hosting a Networking & Connection Brunch on Weds 8 July 9:30 to 11:30 at Research Ireland offices that’s open to all conference attendees. The brunch will be a great chance to build connections, explore potential partnerships, and engage with recipients of Research Ireland funding. You’ll also get insights into Research Ireland’s strategy and funding opportunities. 

Early-career and established researchers are welcome but spaces are limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Once capacity is reached, a waitlist will be activated, and additional places may become available. We encourage you to sign up as early as possible to secure a spot.

DSA Ireland is the independent national association for development studies in Ireland. Established in 2012, it operates as a sister organisation to DSA UK, supporting research, collaborations, and engagement across the development studies community on the island of Ireland. DSAI’s Chair, Prof. Susan Murphy, serves on the DSA2026 Conference Scientific Committee, and we are grateful for her contribution to shaping the conference programme. For more information about DSA Ireland and its forthcoming conference, please visit www.dsaireland.org

We are proud that DSA2026 hosts a number of panels specifically looking at issues relevant to Ireland. These include:

Voices of the people: To what extent are the views and sense of agency of citizens in the UK and Ireland shaping the future of global development?

Within this panel, Research Ireland will present a paper on Equitable Research Partnerships: Insights for Reimagining Sustainable Development. They will review global funding programmes for SDG-focused research partnerships, highlighting equity, capacity building, and sustainability in North–South collaborations.

The future of development: Dialogues at the interface of practice, policy & research is a roundtable that will bring together practitioners, policymakers and academics to explore how development is being re-imagined in an era of shifting power, agency and uncertain futures.

Colonial legacies and media framing of development in conflict: UK and Irish media coverage of Gaza since 2023: This paper presented by Michael O’Driscoll will highlight differences in narrative priorities, sourcing practices, and the relationship between media framing and national political context, situating these contrasts within the distinct colonial histories of Britain and Ireland. Britain’s legacy as a major colonial power, and Ireland’s history as a country colonised by Britain with no comparable identity as a coloniser, continue to shape public attitudes and media sensibilities in both contexts.

Teagasc Irish Development Authority are also convening the panel on: Beyond digitalization: Rethinking AI and the possibilities of technological justice. There will also be three papers presented by Teagasc Irish Development Authority including: From Extraction to Refusal: Community Data Sovereignty as a Decolonial Technological Practice, AI for Climate Justice? Rethinking Digitalisation and Who Benefits; From Extraction to Refusal: Community Data Sovereignty as a Decolonial Technological Practice.

Shifting geopolitical sands: How global instability is shaping the public’s understanding of and approach to overseas development aid, and what this means for communicating development.  Claudia Lynch from Dóchas, the Irish network for international development and humanitarian organisations, and David Hudson (University of Birmingham) will explore how public values shape support for overseas aid amid global instability & the implications for development communications. Using data from the UK, US, France & Germany, they’ll compare Ireland’s uniquely stable, values-driven support for aid despite rising global tensions.

Comhlámh, the Irish Association of Development Workers and Volunteers will be co-convening two panels on “Rethinking Global South Volunteerism and Development”, creating space to critically explore the role, politics and possibilities of volunteerism in development, and presenting a co-authored paper on contributing to wider discussions on development, solidarity and global justice.

Northumbria University are co-organising with United Nations Volunteers, Comhlámh, and UCD Volunteer Overseas an event on ‘Volunteerism and its measurements: Promoting a policy dialogue on the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report’. Free and open to all, in English only. 7 July from 4pm to 5.30pm at the UCD Global Lounge. Register to attend in person and online

In this episode of the British Council’s podcast with Jane Ohlmeyer from Trinity College Dublin, and Bukky Adebowale from Irish Network Against Racism discuss what does it really mean to reset a relationship between nations?

They discuss the complex and deeply intertwined relationship between the UK and Ireland including history, imperial legacy and mobility, the difficult past, challenges brought by Brexit, and celebrate educational and cultural links for a more hopeful future.

Listen now.

It’s not too late to register for DSA2026, in person or online – join us!