COGREX

The COGREX project will carry out in-depth empirical research on the relation between gender and radicalisation as well as assess the integration of gender-based modes of analysis into approaches and methods in the field of prevention and intervention. Supported by explorative interviews COGREX will involve practitioners in its need assessment activities and implement a series of co-creation workshops. The project will generate robust findings on Europe’s radicalisation landscape and identify related gaps, providing the basis for future research initiatives in the security sector.

In light of an increasingly diverse and complex extremism landscape in Europe, the overall aim of the COGREX project is to carry out a comprehensive empirical study that includes a thorough review of the literature on the topics of radicalisation and gender, the implementation of exploratory interviews with practitioners to understand practical strategies in the realm of prevention and intervention. COGREX´s findings will provide guidance for future projects to be developed within the Cluster 3 HORIZON Europe programme.

Moreover, COGREX aims to strengthen international cooperation and the development of strategically important partnerships in the fields of extremism research, radicalisation and security. The resulting synergies will be leveraged as the basis for further research initiatives in Europe’s security sector, building on the project’s empirical studies.

The project titled “COGREX – The Gendered Face of Extremism: Radicalization and Gender in the 21st Century”, kicked off in November 2023 and has a project duration of twelve months, ending in October 2024. COGREX is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the call “Pathways to Innovation – Support for future applicants in the European Security Research”.

The project is structured into a set of closely linked research and conceptualisation tasks: On the one hand, the research focuses on gender and radicalisation literature, reviewing scientific works published in English, German, and Dutch, and evaluating gaps in gender-based analysis and assessment within the different stages of the radicalisation process. Additionally, strategic attention is paid to practical approaches within the field of prevention and countermeasures to extremism and the integration or lack of a gender perspective therein. This is carried out through a need assessment by engaging practitioners via interviews. Both research tasks will lead to the publication of policy briefs on gender in radicalisation processes as well as on the responses to radicalisation, respectively.

On the other hand, COGREX includes three co-creation workshops, which are strategically spread throughout the project. Accordingly, the kick-off workshop launched the conceptual work on the framework of a research proposition in the field of gender and radicalisation. The two-day event focused on defining relevant research questions by identifying knowledge gaps within the researched field and elaborating on practical approaches to integrate a gender-sensitive perspective into prevention, intervention and de-radicalisation work.

A second workshop marked the end of the first project period and centred around the refinement of necessary empirical research tasks to close the defined knowledge gaps on a case study basis with broad informative value.

A third workshop will be held in the final phase of the project and will provide an efficient co-creative work setting to finalise the inputs and prepare further priorities for research on gender and radicalisation. This will also include the validation of the determined research results with invited practitioners and end-users of P/CVE methods. Shortly after the workshop, the policy briefs will present all research results comprised within the COGREX project.

Project objectives

In line with the outlined structure of the project, COGREX aims to:

• Accomplish a comprehensive review of scientific publications focussing gender in radicalisation processes;
• Establish an extensive compilation and informed need assessment of practical P/CVE methods and their integration or lack of a gender perspective;
• Conceptualise a pertinent research framework for research and innovation initiatives within Cluster 3 of the HORIZON Europe Programme;
• Enhance capacity building and networking efforts within Europe’s security research sector for the involved partner organisations.

Project organisation

The COGREX project is coordinated by the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, the other consortium members are the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University, the International Center for Counter-Terrorism, the Violence Prevention Network, the Bavarian State Office of Criminal Investigation and SYNYO. The consortium thereby includes six partners from three European countries.

Building on its extensive experience in the participation and coordination of research and innovation projects (FP7, H2020, HORIZON Europe), SYNYO is involved in the COGREX project, supporting the coordinative and research activities. This includes the integration of established methods and lessons learned from SYNYO’s related previous EU-funded projects, such as TAKEDOWN, ARMOUR or ALLIES, as well as tasks regarding the operational and strategic management, project communication, and quality assurance. Moreover, SYNYO supports the project’s networking efforts by leveraging its broad network in the European security research sector, especially with regard to law enforcement agencies.

Keywords

Radicalisation, Extremism, Gender, Gender-based Analysis, Workshops, Research conceptualisation