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| Welcome to the fortnightly newsletter of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). |
| 2nd Issue September 2026 Editorial Since last week, our virtual dialogues are back from the summer break with full speed, and we look forward to interesting events to come over the next weeks! We’re also busy preparing our upcoming Directors Meeting next month. On our blog, we’ve opened a mini-series on large grant-funded research centres, which seem to play an increasingly important role in the funding landscape. And we’re happy to share an open call from our journal, the EJDR. Our thematic focus is on energy today. From our Blog The Unintended Effects of Development Research Funding Structures Should be a Europe-wide Conversation « Do Big Research Grants Lead to the ‘Faux-Popularisation’ of Principle Investigators’s Flagship Concepts? » In our latest blog, Portia Roelofs explores whether large grant-funded research centres might unintentionally reinforce ‘the North’s Monopoly on theory’. She concludes that the structure of grant bids indeed reinforces the influence of concepts coined by senior, white European men. This is the first post in a mini-series on large grant-funded research centres. Read more To the Blog Overview 01 October: Upcoming EADI Webinar From Net-Zero Commitments to Inclusive Green Livelihoods for Young Africans African governments have made ambitious climate pledges and adopted bold net-zero strategies. Yet for many young people across the continent, access to green jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and sustainable livelihoods remains uneven and uncertain. Why does this gap persist, and what would it take to close it? This webinar brings together researchers and practitioners to examine the disconnect between high-level climate commitments and the realities facing young Africans in the emerging green economy. Read more and register To the EADI Event Calendar News From EADI Working Groups Our Working Group on Gender Justice has a new policy brief in Spanish language out: « Matrimonios Infantiles y Uniones Tempranas en América Latina » Read On the same topic, there will also be an EADI webinar on 13 October organised by the Working Group, in Spanish Language with automatic translation. Read more and register See all EADI Working Groups EJDR Call for Papers: Development in LAC Development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Structural Challenges in Changing Contexts Our journal, The European Journal of Development Research (EJDR) invites manuscripts on development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This is a call for original research papers outside of a dedicated special issue or collection. Development in the LAC region is facing significant challenges. The region is grappling with a changing environment characterized by uncertainty, overlapping crises, and interconnected pressures, such as rapid technological shift, deepening social division, and climate change. Read more To the EJDR Website Student Survey on Teaching Development Studies Here’s the second iteration of our student survey which seeks to gather student perspectives on the teaching of Development Studies. This is part of a wider consultation process informing an EADI Perspective Paper to support practical recommendations on curriculum design, skills development, pedagogy, and guidance on digital tools and AI. All responses are anonymous. Deadline is end of September. To the survey Rewatch: Latest EADI Webinar Global Cooperation in Times of Crisis: Do Epochs Have Moods? (1) This webinar launched the book « Global Cooperation in Times of Crisis: Grasping the Changing Mood of the World » and explored how collective moods such as hope, fear, fatigue, trust and uncertainty shape public life, political imagination and international cooperation. Bringing together perspectives from philosophy, societal security and cultural analysis, the session offered a fresh lens for understanding how societies experience and respond to contemporary global crises. Watch See more Videos on the EADI YouTube Channel Highlight: Open Access Book: Sustainable Futures at Stake? The Case for Politics of Cooperation and Perseverance In a world undergoing tumultuous transition, sustainable futures are at stake. Disruptive policymaking is on the rise, taking the form of new waves of authoritarian nationalism and the systematic erosion of rules-based politics. Yet, reform initiatives are simultaneously taking shape. Rather than proclaiming the collapse of the multilateral order or focusing on disruptive trends, this IDOS flagship report highlights the institutions, actors and coalitions that are advancing and shaping reform to sustain and rebuild cooperation in a multipolar world. Read more Member Podcasts Oil Frontiers #10 SOAS Global Developments Podcast Series – SOAS University of London SOAS Living with Urban Drought Make Change Happen podcast episode 39 – International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) Who Pays for this Anyway? The Good Humanitarian – International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) See All Member Podcasts Thematic Focus: Energy Energy return on investment at the societal level In: Net Energy Analysis (Open Access Book) – Marco Vittorio Ecclesia, João Santos, Paul E. Brockway et al. – Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds (SRI) Managing the food‒energy‒water nexus towards promoting holistic progress of the Sustainable Development Goals in China Geography and Sustainability – Qiushi Mai, Deyong Yu, Jiangxiao Qiu et al. – Global Development Institute (GDI) Future rooftop photovoltaics will weaken carbon mitigation but offer promising water and land benefits Nature Communications – Qiuling Yuan, Fanxin Meng, Yuanchao Hu et al. – Global Development Institute (GDI) Energy addi(c)tion versus green transition: Why renewables supplement rather than replace fossil fuels Energy Research & Social Science – Lorena Lombardozzi – SOAS University of London SOAS Energy normalisation and the additive transition: renewables and fossil integration after the Abraham accords Territory, Politics, Governance – Rafeef Ziadah – Department of International Development King’s College London (DID) Towards a transformative reconstruction of the electricity sector in Syria: current developments and opportunities Sultan Jalabi – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Premium Members Publication Picks Disaster Recovery through Women’s Eyes. Reimagining Resilience Open access book – Kaira Zoe Alburo-Cañete – International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) How community seed banks contribute to climate-resilient seed systems: evidence from Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nepal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems – Regine Andersen, Viviana Meixner Vásquez, Teshome Hunduma Mulesa, Ola T. Westengeng e4t al – Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) Gender mainstreaming in Morocco’s water sector: from national strategies to oasis farming realities Lisa Bossenbroek – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) MHRN Roundtable Report: Social and Behavioural Science Priorities for Ebola Clinical Trials in DRC Megan Schmidt-Sane, Luisa Enria – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Development cooperation in a changing European strategic environment Alexei Jones, Andrew Sherriff – European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) When habit prevails: a causal test of policy feedback theory using a pension reform Political Science Research and Methods – Michael Ganslmeier, Margaryta Klymak, Tim Vlandas – Department of International Development King’s College London (DID) Assessment of future flood inundation under the impacts of climate change and human activities in Central Vietnam Binh Quang Nguyen, Hong Xuan Do, Hung Thanh Pham et al. – The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Efficiency in German Development Cooperation. Meta-evaluation and Evaluation Synthesis Martin Noltze, Georg Kühltau, Karolin Süß – German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) Read more about EADI Members Policy Publication Picks by Members Algorithms & Empathy: Leveraging technology while maintaining human connection in anti-poverty programming Keetie Roelen, Caro Holland-Szyp – The Centre for the Study of Global Development, The Open University (CSGD & OU) How Can Public Development Banks Support the Energy Transition of Territories? Jules Moreau – The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) AI in Africa: Diffuse Widely, Build Selectively GIGA Focus Africa – Tevin Tafese – German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Financing the UN Development System: Keeping the Promise 21 September 2026 – Alain Noudéhou, Björn Holmberg & Aisha Sabar – Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation (DHF) Operationalising the EU-India partnership Gautam Kamath, Chloe Teevan, Alfonso Medinilla – European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) Supporting Frontline Workers Delivering Services in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings Becky Carter, Shreya Jose Maliakal, Paul Harvey – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Sovereign trust funds for planned climate relocations William Carter – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Designing Development Cooperation to be Economical: Better Evaluations for More Efficient Policy Martin Noltze, Karolin Süß, Sven Harten – German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) When belonging comes with a mortgage: Homeownership, debt and integration Mari Norbakk – Chr.Michelsen Institute (CMI) Picks by International Partner Networks ISC-CAST programme launches new AI and research communication training for early- and mid-career researchers International Science Council ISC UN Talks on Free Education Advance as States Weigh Next Steps Bede Sheppard – Network for international policies and cooperation in education and training NORRAG |
| Training Emergency Management for Flood Defences – General Concepts, 02-06 November 2026 Application deadline: 02 October 2026 – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) Shaping Policies and Programmes with Evidence, online course, 22 October – 26 November 2026 Specialist short course, application deadline: 15 October 2026 – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Groundwater Resources and Treatment, 11-29 January 2027 Application deadline: 11 December 2026 – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft) Contribution Analysis for Impact Evaluation, on campus, 11-15 January 2027 Specialist short course, application deadline:15 December 2026 – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) See more courses and trainings on the EADI website Opinions The EU’s ICC commitment puts its geopolitical credibility to the test Philippe Van Damme – European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) Who really controls the minerals powering the green transition? Anabel Marín – Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Why the Indus Waters Treaty must be abided by Mudaser Aijaz Kazi, Ines Dombrowsky – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Life under siege: Community resilience and survival strategies in the Nuba mountains Alawia Osman Mohammed Koli – Chr.Michelsen Institute (CMI) When an oil shock meets a shrinking aid system Andy Sumner – Department of International Development King’s College London (DID) Beyond 3-day Conferences: From Annual Rituals to Academic Communities Luqman Ọpẹ́yẹmí Muraina, Marta Maria Nicolazzi – International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) Clean energy resilience as a European portfolio problem Cristina Peñasco – Real Instituto Elcano Simplifying EU legislation through better regulation Anne Bucher & Elizabeth Golberg – Institut du développement durable et des relations internationales (IDDRI) Calls Call for panels: ECAS2027: African Prisms, 30 June – 3 July 2027, Lisbon Deadline: 27 September 2026 – African Studies Centre Leiden, Leiden University ASCL Call for Contribution and Participation: Towards a Global South-driven Future for Development Studies: 1st Workshop in Indonesia (TBC: April 2027) Deadline: 30 September 2026 – EADI/DSA Call for Papers: Conference ‘Meat and Mining’, 1-4 September 2027, Leiden, The Netherlands Deadline: 01 October 2026 – African Studies Centre Leiden, Leiden University ASCL Call for Panels: DSA 2027: Development between hope and critique, 22-25 June 2027 Hybrid at University of Sussex Deadline: 05 November 2026 – Development Studies Association (DSA) See more calls on the EADI Website Jobs Policy Fellowship on The New Geopolitics of Global Governance Deadline extended to 30 September 2026 – Global Development Institute (GDI) Visiting PhD Fellowship Deadline: 30 September 2026 – United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) Postdoc on maritime security in the Arctic Deadline: 05 October 2026 – Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) Researcher, Water Governance (f/m/diverse, part-time) Deadline: 07 October 2026 – German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Postdoc: Qualitative Researcher on The Logics of Destruction in Civil War Deadline: 15 October 2026 – Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) See more jobs on the EADI website Opinion continued Rethinking Green Industrial Policy – Towards a sovereign and people-centred Justice for a Strong Regionalism Rachmi Hertanti & Hadi Rahmat Purnama – Transnational Institute TNI Breaking the ‘research aristocracy’: why climate resilience must be co-produced Sheela Patel – International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) |