The UNU-MERIT Internal Conference 2026 brings together researchers from across the Institute for two days of presentations and discussion.
The programme includes 18 parallel sessions with research papers and pitches from across UNU-MERIT. Sessions cover poverty and social protection, migration, innovation, structural transformation, education, climate governance, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and global value chains.
A poster session organised by the Development Economics Research Group will present ongoing work from researchers across the Institute.
The conference will feature two keynote lectures, offering fresh perspectives and inspiration. Prof. Dr. Rachel Ngai of the London School of Economics will speak on “Structural Transformation and Gender: Agriculture, Home Production, and Land Rights.” while Dr. Amir Lebdioui from the University of Oxford will deliver the second keynote.

Explore the full programme here.