Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INNOVATE (Innovating to Enhance Dialogues on Migration Policies and Practices)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-02-28
The INNOVATE project aims to facilitate a step change in the types, scope, forms and impacts of Migration Research to Policy (MR2P) engagement. It does so through a series of Actions that develop, test, apply and communicate Process Innovations that are grounded in the needs and interests of researchers, policy-makers and other key stakeholders - including migrants – that are engaged with migration issues across governance levels from the local to the international. It embeds these within an MR2P Co-Lab (www.migrationresearchtopolicy.eu) that has both a both a ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ presence comprising a Research Exchange, Engagement Hub and Training Facility. The MR2P Co-Lab is designed to become a go-to resource that promotes use of and valorises research evidence in both ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ formats to support more effective policymaking; provides extensive resources to facilitate MR2P engagement; and provides training modules to embed good practices. Methods and approaches that have proven value and contained within the INNOVATE project's Engagement Toolkit will be applied to 7 Process Innovation Actions on key migration issues to promote engagement with the aim being to highlight how evidence and information are used and with what effects and also to see what kinds of changes can be induced in terms of policies, practices and organisations, but also in terms of individual learning.
Creation of the Migration Research to Policy (MR2P) Co-Lab comprising a Research Exchange, Engagement Hub and Training Facility. MR2P Shorts are a key project communication tool and that present research findings or engagement insights in 800 words or fewer.
Research Report: How to build stronger and more effective engagement. Insights from research-policy collaboration within Horizon-funded projects on migration
The report identified an engagement paradox across at least three dimensions of research-policy relations.
1. The volume of research versus its influence.
2. The scale of investment versus the return.
3. The quest for facts and evidence at a time when expertise itself is increasingly contested.
The report made 4 recommendations:
• Embed engagement as a criterion for Horizon project success. For project partners and stakeholders, engagement rather than impact is an effective and realistic tool to track incremental progress.
• Balance research-driven and policy-oriented objectives since the project design phase, foreseeing more realistic impact objectives in project proposals and integrating engagement tools and resources into project design.
• Build institutionalised engagement capacity within project consortia to align their skills set with Horizon requirements and ensure that evidence is presented in an accessible, actionable way.
• Introduce post-project follow-up tools in project proposals, including dedicated time for impact evaluation and resources for post-project dissemination efforts.
Research Report: Review of evidence needs/engagement Platform on Statelessness European Migration Network
The Report makes three recommendations for the Platform on Statelessness
1) Continue knowledge brokering between different communities. Ensuring that all voices, in particular those with lived experiences of statelessness, are represented and contribute to the discussions. This was identified as a good practice of evidence engagement by our interviewees, as it raises awareness of the reality of those most impacted by statelessness and enriches the dialogue.
2) Systematic inclusion of academic researchers at Platform on Statelessness events. Include academic researchers systematically in events, allowing them to build relationships with policymakers and practitioners, which could increase trust and enhance evidence uptake. Organization of an interactive panel between practitioners and academics at events, for instance, allows researchers and/or academics to present their research to practitioners, receiving feedback on its relevance for those working in the field. Practitioners could also raise issues and contribute to the development of relevant research questions. These interactions could help bridge the gap between research and practice.
3) Commission relevant research in collaboration with the Platform.
Research Report: Review of forecasting/preparedness in EMN
The report analyses how the European Migration Network (EMN) can contribute to evidence engagement on migration forecasting by examining current initiatives as well as the scope and interests for future developments.
The Report makes three recommendations:
1. Targeted exchanges to bridge the gap between experts and policymakers through relatively short, interactive sessions between both communities.
2. Introducing interactive elements at events to strengthen the practical skills and capacity of participants in conducting forecasting exercises.
3. Creation of a living document/EMN output on forecasting for which the EMN, with its extensive network of Member and Observer States, is well-positioned to collect and map information that can support forecasting and preparedness efforts.
Within Work Package 2 a key output was creation of the Engagement Toolkit.
This toolkit was created by researchers for researchers and offers recommendations, tips and practical examples based own the experience of researchers for integrating evidence into decision-making and engaging with policymakers. These suggestions stem from the best practices of consortium partners, serving as models and inspiration.The toolkit is organised under six headings. Each heading breaks down into sub-heading and from each of the sub-headings there are interactive and accessible resources that contain practical guidance and examples.
1. Understand your Audience
2. Building Relationships and Trust
3. Tailoring Research to Policymakers Needs
4. Stakeholder Engagement for Policy Change
5. Reaching Policymakers: Content and Messages
6. Reaching Policymakers Timing, Tools and Challenges.
Research Report: How to build stronger and more effective engagement. Insights from research-policy collaboration within Horizon-funded projects on migration
The report identified an engagement paradox across at least three dimensions of research-policy relations.
1. The volume of research versus its influence.
2. The scale of investment versus the return.
3. The quest for facts and evidence at a time when expertise itself is increasingly contested.
The report made 4 recommendations:
• Embed engagement as a criterion for Horizon project success. For project partners and stakeholders, engagement rather than impact is an effective and realistic tool to track incremental progress.
• Balance research-driven and policy-oriented objectives since the project design phase, foreseeing more realistic impact objectives in project proposals and integrating engagement tools and resources into project design.
• Build institutionalised engagement capacity within project consortia to align their skills set with Horizon requirements and ensure that evidence is presented in an accessible, actionable way.
• Introduce post-project follow-up tools in project proposals, including dedicated time for impact evaluation and resources for post-project dissemination efforts.
Research Report: Review of evidence needs/engagement Platform on Statelessness European Migration Network
The Report makes three recommendations for the Platform on Statelessness
1) Continue knowledge brokering between different communities. Ensuring that all voices, in particular those with lived experiences of statelessness, are represented and contribute to the discussions. This was identified as a good practice of evidence engagement by our interviewees, as it raises awareness of the reality of those most impacted by statelessness and enriches the dialogue.
2) Systematic inclusion of academic researchers at Platform on Statelessness events. Include academic researchers systematically in events, allowing them to build relationships with policymakers and practitioners, which could increase trust and enhance evidence uptake. Organization of an interactive panel between practitioners and academics at events, for instance, allows researchers and/or academics to present their research to practitioners, receiving feedback on its relevance for those working in the field. Practitioners could also raise issues and contribute to the development of relevant research questions. These interactions could help bridge the gap between research and practice.
3) Commission relevant research in collaboration with the Platform.
Research Report: Review of forecasting/preparedness in EMN
The report analyses how the European Migration Network (EMN) can contribute to evidence engagement on migration forecasting by examining current initiatives as well as the scope and interests for future developments.
The Report makes three recommendations:
1. Targeted exchanges to bridge the gap between experts and policymakers through relatively short, interactive sessions between both communities.
2. Introducing interactive elements at events to strengthen the practical skills and capacity of participants in conducting forecasting exercises.
3. Creation of a living document/EMN output on forecasting for which the EMN, with its extensive network of Member and Observer States, is well-positioned to collect and map information that can support forecasting and preparedness efforts.
Within Work Package 2 a key output was creation of the Engagement Toolkit.
This toolkit was created by researchers for researchers and offers recommendations, tips and practical examples based own the experience of researchers for integrating evidence into decision-making and engaging with policymakers. These suggestions stem from the best practices of consortium partners, serving as models and inspiration.The toolkit is organised under six headings. Each heading breaks down into sub-heading and from each of the sub-headings there are interactive and accessible resources that contain practical guidance and examples.
1. Understand your Audience
2. Building Relationships and Trust
3. Tailoring Research to Policymakers Needs
4. Stakeholder Engagement for Policy Change
5. Reaching Policymakers: Content and Messages
6. Reaching Policymakers Timing, Tools and Challenges.
The Migration Research to Policy Co-Lab that makes a step change in migration research to policy relations via the creation of a Research Exchange, Engagement Hub and Training Facility. As such the INNOVATE project not only builds upon the success of previous projects, but creates something new and distinctive that can be a strong basis for effective future engagement between migration research and policy.