For two decades, the Annual Meeting has been the main space where researchers from across the network meet, present new work, develop collaborations, engage with policy questions, and strengthen the relationships that make EfD more than a collection of individual centers. However, the 2026 Annual Meeting will be organized under very different conditions from previous years.
EfD’s Global Hub has historically played a central role in the Annual Meeting, in terms of organization and in channelling resources from the Sida-funded Global Program for the participation of researchers from across the network. This year, however, the Global Hub will not be able to take an active role in organizing the meeting or channeling funding from Sida.
Along with the budget cut from Sida, in January 2026, they recommended that funds from the Global Program should not be used for an in-person Annual Meeting in 2026. The new management of the Global Program followed this recommendation and revised the program budget accordingly. This had implications beyond the direct costs of travel and participation. It also required a reallocation of tasks at the Global Hub and a reduction in employment.
The Annual Meeting has always been a network activity. The decision by the EfD centers, through the Coordination Committee, to move forward with the 20th Annual Meeting despite the absence of Sida funding is an important expression of the network’s resilience and commitment to this shared space. The Global Hub is very pleased to see this commitment and deeply appreciates the willingness of EfD India/CECFEE to take up the challenge, together with others in the network.
The 20th Annual Meeting will therefore be both a celebration and a transition. It will be a celebration of what the network has built over two decades, and it will also mark a new phase in which the Annual Meeting is carried forward more directly by the centers themselves.
The Global Hub leadership is hopeful that the Local Organizing Committee, the Scientific Committee, and the Coordination Committee will be able to identify alternative funding sources and encourages all EfD researchers to visit the website of the 20th Annual Meeting for information about the conference, submission procedures, deadlines, and practical arrangements
The EfD's 20th Annual Meeting will take place on November 12–14, 2026.
Submission deadline: June 15th.
IIM Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
Conference website