Forced Migration and Refugee Studies: Networking and Knowledge Transfer

Since the beginning of the increase in the number of asylum seekers in Germany in 2011, the demand for scientific expertise in politics, administration, practice, the media and the public has risen continuously. In this context, the lack of networking and bundling of research on issues of violent migration, refugee policy and the (re-)integration of refugees has become just as apparent as the low level of processing of scientific approaches and insights and the lack of transfer of the available scientific findings into political and public debates. Against this background, the research project pursues three objectives: 1. to take stock of and network the research landscape, 2. to pool knowledge and 3. to transfer it to politics, administration, civil society, the media and the public. To this end, a comprehensive database of relevant research projects will be created and made accessible via an interactive research map. In addition, the state of research and recommendations for action will be developed in ten subject areas, ranging from the causes of flight, experiences of violence and (im)mobility to the (re)integration of refugees. Workshops and conferences with academics and representatives from politics, practice and the media serve to network and transfer the research results. The project is therefore to be located in the field of basic research because it brings together the available knowledge and offers further perspectives for discussing and clarifying the scientific problem of refugees. It is also about conducting applied research by preparing scientific expertise and knowledge for political, media and public debate.

The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for a period of two and a half years and carried out under the direction of Prof. Andreas Pott and Prof. Jochen Oltmer from IMIS together with Prof. Conrad Schetter from the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC).