2^nd Workshop on International Research Cooperation of “Forced Migration and Refugee Studies: Networking and Knowledge Transfer” (FFVT)

Nowadays, partnerships are state of the art in international research projects but underlying motivations often vary between the mere desire to meet funding requirements and the honest pursuit of more equitable relations between partners. Internationalisation is an important goal and essential tool for strengthening forced migration and refugee studies; however, this can only be achieved if inequities among partners from the Global South, East and West are transparently addressed and participation and inclusive decision-making become part and parcel of cooperation activities.

This workshop provided a platform for representatives of academic and policy-oriented forced migration and refugee networks to engage in a dialogue to explore, discuss and critically reflect on questions of structural and content-related cooperation among networks and in international cooperation projects in the field from Southern, Eastern and Northern perspectives. The objective was to identify opportunities and obstacles and to come up with practical steps that we, as a community, can take to work towards more participatory and co-creative approaches in international knowledge cooperation.

The event started with an impulse speech and discussion about the meanings of internationalisation. This was followed by a practically-oriented exchange and discussion about experiences with the “(im)mobilisation of knowledge: creation, dissemination and barriers” from different perspectives. The ensuing part provided a space to share insights into the underlying structures that foster or hamper international cooperation and to discuss different measures, procedures, tools, arrangements or agreements that can be taken to address inequities among cooperation partners. The concluding session served to agree on next steps and possibilities for further cooperation.

The workshop was part of the cooperation project FFVT and it is organised in cooperation with the German Network for Forced Migration Studies (NWFF). It is a logical next step that succeeds the joint NWFF and FFVT event ”CoNet Connecting Networks – Strengthening international partnerships in refugee and forced migration studies” held on 31 May 2021.

The FFVT cooperation project is aiming to strengthen interdisciplinary research on refugees and forced migration in Germany and internationally. Partners in FFVT are the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), the Centre for Human Rights Erlangen Nuremberg (CHREN, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS, Osnabrück University).

FFVT brings together research on migration, development, conflict and violence, climate change, health, governance and human rights and other topics. The aim of the project is to link academic activities across these fields and thus increase the visibility of research on refugees and forced migration both in Germany and internationally by initiating new collaborative research and promoting a dialogue between academia, practitioners, the media and politics.