Partners 

Four institutions are brought together under the consortium that will act as partners for the MFA in the area of migration and development within the context of the IS Academy. The consortium partners offer a broad portfolio of academic research in the area of migration, training, supervision and collaboration with professionals and advisory activities for governments and international organizations. The Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, which is part of the Maastricht University, has the lead. The consortium consists of the following partners:

• Maastricht University:
  Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (UM MGSoG)
  Faculty of Law (UM FdR)
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (UM FAS)

• International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)

• European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)

• European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA)

The institutes and faculties of the Maastricht University involved in this project have extensive experience in designing, implementing and supervising research projects. Furthermore, all have extensive networks with researchers from other institutions and professionals working in the field of migration and development. While the MGSoG has the lead over this project, all partners of the Maastricht University will be actively involved in implementing the research, supervising PhD fellows and contributing to the publications, conferences, IS M&D website and staff exchange facilities.  

The ICMDP (International Centre for Migration Policy Development) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1993 following an initiative from Austria and Switzerland. It is working closely together with the United Nations and the European Commission in order to stimulate coherent and sustainable migration policies and to enable the dialogue between governments and research institutions on European migration issues. The ICMPD has an excellent reputation in the area of international comparative research on migration trends, regulation, causes, effects and integration. The ICMDP will be actively involved in implementing the proposed research projects, supervising PhD fellows and contributing to scientific articles, Migration Policy Briefs, Policy Reports and the various conferences and meetings. ICMDP will also contribute to the development and active use of IS M&D WEBSITE. 

The ECDPM (European Centre for Development Policy Management) fulfills a special role in the consortium. Although the institute is only marginally involved in research on migration, their close connection with policy makers in developing countries (especially in APC countries) and other development institutions is invaluable for the IS-Academy. ECDPM’s capacity to mobilize their partners is especially relevant within the context of the International M&D debates, the conferences and the Advanced Academic Update, and for disseminating the research outputs to partners in the South.  

The EIPA(European Institute for Public Administration)’s main role in the consortium is to ensure the link with the European Commission and the EU member states. More and more, migration policies have a European character, while development policies are still mainly governed by national interests. This dualism can create tensions. Both the EIPA and the ECDPM have the expertise to make the link between national and European, c.q. international dimensions. Furthermore, the EIPA is logistically in charge of the Master in European Migration Policies, of which the courses are open for MFA staff. The EIPA will be especially important within the context of the European debates on M&D ensuring access to their partners, and for the dissemination of the research outputs. EIPA staff will also actively contribute to the conferences and the Advanced Academic Update.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this partnership will be represented by the Cluster International Migration (DPV/AM/CIM). ‘Core business’ of this cluster is to develop and execute policy on the topic of migration and development. In this endeavour the cluster maintains valuable contacts in the M&D field, such as with migrant organizations, development organizations and national and international policymaker. These channels will be used for input and as dissemination channels for the IS-academie partnership.  

The consortium partners and the Cluster International Migration will intensively collaborate. Collaboration implies intensive contacts during the research and the organisation of a series of activities all aimed at maintaining a close link between the institutes and the MFA. The lead partner (Maastricht Graduate School of Governance) will report every 6 months to the other partners on the progress of the research and the other activities.  

In order to keep the partnership between the MFA and the consortium partners lively and up-to-date, a steering committee consisting of representatives of all consortium partners and the representatives from DPV/AM/CIM of MFA will meet every 6 months to discuss progress and to explore further possibilities to enhance cooperation, dissemination of results and creative initiatives in the field of Migration and Development. The steering group will be chaired in turns by MGSoG and the MFA. There will also be an annual meeting of the members of the partnership with Directie Culturele Samenwerking, Onderwijs en Onderzoek (DCO) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.