By Aafke Brus, Radboud University Nijmegen
August 2014
7. Conclusion
This paper has provided an historical biography of IMISCOE from the establishment of the Network of Excellence, the change into an International Research Network, and the recent move of the network to a new coordinator. This biography shows several key developments. Firstly, the orientation of IMISCOE has changed from a focus on policy towards a focus on membership. It has become an academic network of which the focus is primary on the importance of research institutes. Secondly, there has been a diversification trend. When IMISCOE was a Network of Excellence especially research was important, research with a policy orientation since IMISCOE was funded by the EC. Nowadays, as an International Research Network, the focus has become broader; research, publications, training and events are all important. This diversification has been reinforced by the new coordinators of IMISCOE at Erasmus University. Thirdly, IMISCOE has grown significantly. From a network of excellence founded by 19 institutes, it is now by far Europe’s largest research network in the field of migration and integration studies with 35 member institutes and around 500 individual members.
Due the establishment of IMISCOE, institutes in and around the EU have found each other for research, training, and events. European wide research and publications have been supported by IMISCOE and over the years there have been more than sixty publications. From this paper, can be concluded that IMISCOE has combated fragmentation of European migration and integration research and continues to do so in its future.
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