A new era for political science begins in Belfast

Political science takes centre stage

The European Political Science Society is a member-led, not-for-profit association formed in 2025 by the governing council of the European Political Science Association.

Its inaugural annual conference needed to establish a strong identity while accommodating a diverse academic programme spanning the breadth of contemporary political science.

Interest was significant, with more than 2,500 paper proposals submitted across 19 thematic sections. Rather than centering on one overarching theme, EPSS 2026 championed methodologically rigorous and scientifically ambitious research from across the discipline.

Ken Benoit, Council Executive Committee Member, European Political Science Society, said

The objective of this conference was to bring the community together so that they could go to sessions, roundtables, and social events. It’s networking but also exchange of scholarly ideas.

"Under the new management in our non-profit form with the new council, this was the first annual conference that we’ve had as the European Political Science Society and I think it was extremely important for us this year to run a good conference and to have a really strong participation and showing. We have proven that is possible."

A connected campus

The scale of the programme called for a flexible venue solution. By using meeting spaces across ICC Belfast and the adjoining Hilton Belfast, EPSS availed of a connected conference campus in the heart of the city.

This campus-wide approach allowed multiple academic sessions to take place simultaneously while keeping delegates within one easily navigated event environment. The flexibility of both venues supported everything from keynote addresses and focused discussions to exhibition activity and informal networking.

Throughout the planning and delivery process, the ICC Belfast team worked as an extension of the EPSS team, helping to translate the society’s vision for its conference into a seamless delegate experience.

Connections beyond the conference

The delegate experience extended far beyond the formal academic programme.

Morning networking runs offered an informal and energising start to the day, while receptions and social gatherings gave attendees the opportunity to continue conversations and build connections in a more relaxed setting.

Through Belfast’s collaborative, city-wide approach to hosting international conferences, EPSS 2026 reached into venues, bars and restaurants across the city. The social programme included an EPSS Reception at Belfast City Hall and a post-conference wind-down reception at the Ulster Museum.

ICC Belfast’s central location meant delegates could move easily between the conference campus, accommodation and social venues, making Belfast itself an integral part of the event experience.

Lauren McCann, Association Business Development Manager, ICC Belfast, said

“It’s such an honour to host the European Political Science Society here at ICC Belfast and be their conference venue for 2026. We have welcomed delegates from so many countries to the city, a lot of them who have come for the very first time and who decided to stay on after the conference."

This is an excellent opportunity to showcase Belfast and even the wider region. For 1,400 delegates to be coming to Belfast city, this is huge in terms of economic impact and the whole city really benefits from that.

The start of something bigger

EPSS 2026 successfully established a new annual meeting for Europe’s political science community.

Throughout, delegates exchanged research, encountered new perspectives and connected with peers working across every area of the discipline. The combination of an impressive academic programme, flexible conference campus and city-wide social experience created a strong foundation on which the society can continue to build.

For ICC Belfast, the event demonstrated the venue’s versatility and the team’s commitment to being a trusted event partner. By bringing together adaptable spaces, collaborative delivery and the wider Belfast experience, ICC Belfast helped EPSS create more than a conference, it strengthened its community and created a platform for lasting academic exchange.

Simon Hix, President-Elect, European Political Science Society, commented

“What we wanted was to make a big splash and ensure the first event was a real success. We wanted to choose a venue that provided a great space for the conference, as well as a city that would be fun and exciting for lots of young people to visit. A major part of attending a large academic conference is having the opportunity to socialise, meet new people and build connection outside of the conference and Belfast is, of course, such a welcoming city for that."

People are now very excited for where they are going to go next and in fact next year, we are going to Copenhagen. Looking ahead, we now have a high benchmark Copenhagen has to beat and that’s what we wanted to set. We wanted to start off on a high and try to beat it next year, if we can.

This conference was supported by the Belfast and Northern Ireland conference subvention scheme funded by Belfast City Council and Tourism NI, and administered by Visit Belfast.