“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 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.

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 highlights 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.

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.