The panel includes presentations by three research projects from the DEVELOP2 Academy Programme:
- Vincent Jumbe and Ernest Ako (University of Jyväskylä): From invisibility to Dialogue: Policy Lessons from Street-Level Encounters in Malawi and Ghana
- Henna Rinta-Kiikka (University of Eastern Finland): Technological and socio-economic solutions to reduce indoor air pollution in Nepal
- Linda Annala (Hanken School of Economics): Green Jobs, Invisible Workers: Scalar Politics of Forest Landscape Restoration Labour in Ethiopia
The presentations will be commented by Professor Tiina Kontinen (University of Jyväskylä).
All interested are welcome to participate in the discussion!
The Academy Programme for development research (DEVELOP2) provides funding for multidisciplinary, phenomenon-driven and problem-based research that targets global development issues, helps boost economic, social and ecological development in the Global South. DEVELOP2 is funded by the Research Council of Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland during 2023–2026 and it includes nine research consortiums.
DEVELOP2 aims to
- generate new research-based knowledge on issues of global development and the causes and mechanisms of poverty and inequality in the Global South. We aim to find ways to remove obstacles which might hinder development and to improve conditions for development
- strengthen and renew high-quality phenomenon-driven and problem-based development research in Finland in the long term and to promote its application in the Global South
- support cooperation and research between universities and research institutes in Finland and the target countries, and to strengthen the research capacity of universities and research institutes in the Global South
- encourage more widespread and impactful use of our research both in Finland and internationally: to disseminate new research-based knowledge to support informed decision making and implementation, to make research-based knowledge more readily available among stakeholders and the general public, and to support improved application of research-based knowledge both in Finland and in the other countries involved.
DEVELOP2 has three main themes:
- sustainable economy in the Global South (digitalisation, jobs, livelihoods, decent work, international trade)
- creating a more efficient society (welfare, health, human rights, high-quality education)
- food security, biodiversity, environmental health and sustainable management and sustainable use of natural resources.
Our research projects aim to support the management of changes that will benefit poor people and promote equality primarily in the least developed and lower to middle-income countries and regions.
Format: The DEVELOP2-panel is a 1,5 hour hybrid panel session.
Registration is now open from 12 January to 15 February 2026.
The detailed timetable will be published soon.