Sustainable Practices of Integration (SPRING)

The SPRING project is taking stock of the level of knowledge on integration policies and specific integration procedures. To this end, systematic information about policy and practice is collected and new approaches supported for their evaluation and learning. The project brings together the findings of integration experts from the academic community and practitioners, including political decision-makers.

The arrival of large numbers of refugees and other migrants in 2015 and the politicization of migration as a consequence thereof represented a turning point, the effects of which on different social spheres are still making themselves felt today. One consequence of the events in 2015 is investment in both practical measures for the integration of newly arrived migrants and in the study of their integration and the impact of the measures taken. The sheer volume of practical and scientific knowledge calls for synthesis of the acquired findings and structures to make accessible relevant, often highly localized knowledge, and to promote the exchange of knowledge and learning beyond different political levels, countries and languages.

Best Practices and Evaluation

The project will provide the various stakeholder groups with relevant knowledge. The aim is to improve the competencies of the stakeholders regarding the integration of migrants, as well as the ability of stakeholders to reflect on and evaluate their own procedures themselves. To this end, Best Practices are collected and presented on an online portal and practitioners provided with tools to show how such practices from specific national, regional or local contexts might be translated to their own sphere. A manual of integration policy procedures for newly arrived migrants is likewise planned, as well as an evaluation toolkit which enables the impact of integration efforts to be measured.