ICC Belfast is a world-class conference venue located in the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital. We’re especially excited to bring CW to Belfast for the first time, marking a significant step in making the event more accessible to our Northern Irish community. ICC Belfast offers state-of-the-art facilities and a vibrant setting that reflects the city's rich culture and warm hospitality, making it the perfect backdrop for this year's gathering.

CW26 Theme

We are delighted to announce that Collaborations Workshop 2026 (CW26) will centre around one powerful theme and clear purpose: Strengthening the Research Software Community.

Research software is at the heart of discovery, innovation, and trust in research. Yet, its future depends on the strength of the people and communities behind it. Together, we will explore how to build a more connected, inclusive, and sustainable ecosystem that empowers practitioners, researchers, developers, and advocates alike.

We’ll focus on fostering national and international collaboration, supporting career development across all stages, and embedding equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility into our collective practices. We'll also examine the evolving role of shaping responsible, high-quality research, from AI and data infrastructure to reproducibility, policy, and public trust.

Through inspiring talks, interactive workshops, group discussions, and hands-on sessions, we’ll share knowledge, amplify diverse voices, and work together to ensure research software continues to thrive in an uncertain but opportunity-rich future.

Registration

Registration will open for a limited number of super early bird tickets on Monday 15 September.

In the meantime, you can find out more about ticket options on Eventbrite or the CW26 webpage.

What to Expect at CW

The Software Sustainability Institute's annual Collaborations Workshop (CW) is an immersive, three-day unconference, which emphasises active collaborations, dynamic discussions, and hands-on problem-solving.

It brings together a diverse and passionate community, from researchers and software developers to funders and policy makers, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. Networking is a central feature, with ample opportunities to meet, collaborate, and form partnerships that extend well beyond the event itself.

Keynotes and mini-workshops provide valuable insights, but the core of the event lies in interactive ideas and discussion sessions where diverse perspectives come together to shape the future of research software.

The final day is dedicated to the Hack Day, where creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving take centre stage. This isn’t just about coding; it’s a space where people from all backgrounds, technical or not, come together to experiment and co-create solutions to real-world challenges in research software and beyond. 

In essence, this event is more than a conference, it's a community-building experience and a catalyst for positive change in the research software sector.