TCD Researchers and Students Collaborate on International Development Issues

Posted on: 17 December 2009

The first Development Research Week, organised by the Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI), was aimed at students and researchers across a range of disciplines and featured development research and its practical application internationally.  The series of events took place recently in Trinity College during which a number of themes were put forward to encourage collaboration between researchers and students from TCD and other educational institutions as well as non-governmental organisations.

International development is a discipline that is relevant to numerous schools across all three faculties of the University and is an issue that has broad connotations.  Chair of the TIDI initiative, Professor Jane Grimson said: “TIDI is a college wide initiative, involving all three faculties and multiple disciplines to coordinate and promote TCD’s expanded engagement with research and education on international development.  The Development Research Week will become an annual event in the University calendar providing a forum for collaboration between researchers, students and other stakeholders in development and an opportunity to showcase TCD’s research on international development.”

As part of the week’s activities students from all disciplines were able to enrol in TIDI’s Multidisciplinary Module which exposed them to some of the challenges they were likely to encounter in the course of their research.  Students enrolled from Global Health, Zoology, Economics, Psychology, Business, Engineering, Ecumenics, Geography, Education, Social Work and Political Science. 

The growing interest in developing methods to ensure sustainable human development worldwide will see TIDI’s Research Development Week become an annual event.  TIDI’s aim is to ensure College’s overall approach to international development is distinctive, coherent and integrated.  For more information on TIDI please see the website.