Since 2015, the topics of “forced displacement” and “refugees” have been predominant topics of discussion in German and European politics, in the media and in the societies as a whole. These discussions show the urgent need of scientific expertise for political decision-makers in Europe, on the national, but also on the local level. At the same time, the academic field of ‘forced migration / refugee studies’ in Germany is characterized by great divisions and institutional diversity.
The project lies at the nexus of research and policy advice and has the following three goals:

• to establish research networks and provide a state-of-the-art overview of refugee studies—in particular in Germany,

• to pool the knowledge on forced migration, refugee politics as well as reception, integration and return,

• to transfer that knowledge into politics, administration, civil society, the media and the public.

The project will run for two years and is conducted in co-operation with the Institute for Migration and Integration Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück.
It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.