EfD’s 16th Annual Meeting in Uganda meant a very welcome return to real-life interactions after two years of virtual meetings. There were vivid discussions and spontaneous meetings not only in the numerous sessions but every minute of the conference.
There was an even greater emphasis on collaboration between centers than in previous meetings. All of the seven collaborative programs were introduced already at the opening session and they also had both open sessions and by invitation only. The open sessions drew large crowds of attendees who got a chance to learn more about the programs and find new ways to work with them.
“The Annual Meeting came at the perfect moment for the collaborative programs, commented Alejandro Lopez-Feldman, Coordinator of the Collaborative Programs at EfD."
"By meeting in person, researchers were able to have lively and fruitful deliberations about the path forward. I am very satisfied with how things worked out, and I am looking forward to supporting the different programs in achieving their ambitious research and policy engagement objectives.”
The academic program was very comprehensive with 40 parallel sessions, catering to different specific areas of research, with no less than 137 presentations. Three high-class academic keynotes and one policy keynote were presented in plenary sessions.
A new feature this year was a three-day teacher training that preceded the Annual Meeting. It was a place-based education (PBE) workshop to help improve the pedagogical practice of the EfD researchers who also work as lecturers. Over 15 participants from the 13 EfD centers participated in the training, which was held in collaboration with Teton Science Schools, EfD International, and EfD Global Hub.
Another novelty in this year’s Annual Meeting was training for the Early Career Fellowship Program. Three days preceding the meeting were dedicated to Academic Writing and Research Ethics and one day after the general sessions, they were drilled in Science Communication.
“Real-life EfD Annual Meeting is back – larger and more vibrant than ever! It’s wonderful to see the energy generated when researchers join from across our globe to make a difference to poverty and sustainability with their research,” says Gunnar Köhlin, a very proud EfD Director.
All through the meeting, with all its vibrant and constructive discussions, there was also a sense of urgency. The work of EfD has probably never been more important than it is today.
More detailed reports from the meeting will be published continuously on EfD’s website. Stay tuned!