Project description
Life after the refugee crisis
At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, tens of thousands of people were fleeing their home countries every day to escape war, persecution and oppression. Over 1 million migrants and asylum seekers arrived in Europe that year. The migrations have profound impact on the lives of migrants, but also on the lives of the host communities where migrants live as refugees. Today, the number of asylum seekers reaching Europe has dropped dramatically but the challenges remain. The EU-funded FOCUS project will study the socio-psychological dimensions of refugee and host-community relations and analyse the socio-economic integration of refugees and what this means for host societies. FOCUS will seek solutions for host communities to increase tolerance, facilitating peaceful coexistence and reduced radicalisation across Europe and the Middle East.
Objective
In 2015 and 2016, the EU experienced an unparalleled influx refugees and migrants. This situation poses multiple challenges for social- and health services and labour markets in host communities as well as for the lives of the refugees.
In response to this situation, the vision of FOCUS is to increase understanding of, and provide effective and evidence-based solutions for, the challenges of forced migration within host communities and thereby contribute to increased tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and reduced radicalization across Europe and in the Middle East.
Based on a comprehensive mapping and trans-disciplinary, multi-site field research conducted in Jordan, Croatia, Germany and Sweden, FOCUS explores the socio-psychological dimensions of refugee- and host-community relations and analyses the socio-economic integration of refugees and the consequences of this in host societies. The research sites have been selected to ensure that insights and lessons are derived from medium- and long-term experiences with forced displacement and local integration.
This knowledge is used to transform and strengthen existing promising solutions for social- and labour market integration. The integration solutions will be pilot tested in at least five European countries by governmental and non-governmental end-users. The solutions are finally brought together in the Refugee and Host Community Toolbox, which will support policy makers, municipal actors, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in responding to the needs of both refugees and host communities and thereby act as agents of change in this field.
In addition, FOCUS undertakes an ambitious programme of engagement with policy makers, end-users, host communities, refugees and other stakeholders. This will ensure that FOCUS research and solutions are acceptable and useful for policy makers, while meeting the needs of end-user organisations and ultimately refugees and host communities.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.6. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Europe In A Changing World - Inclusive, Innovative And Reflective Societies Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.6.1.3. - Europe's role as a global actor, notably regarding human rights and global justice
- H2020-EU.3.6.1.2. - Trusted organisations, practices, services and policies that are necessary to build resilient, inclusive, participatory, open and creative societies in Europe, in particular taking into account migration, integration and demographic change
Call for proposal
H2020-SC6-MIGRATION-2018-2019-2020
See other projects for this callSub call
H2020-SC6-MIGRATION-2018
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark