MICADO

MICADO participated in the 2^nd Migration Policy Roundtable with the sister projects to present strategies for sustained service delivery. Since MICADO as well as the sister projects are entering the final months of their respective project cycles, the joint focus is on planning strategies for exploitation of results and uptake of ICT solutions. The Policy Roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss potential hurdles in the uptake of ICT tools and to share feasible strategies for sustainability.

On the 21st and 22nd of October 2021, MICADO joined the 2nd Migration Policy Roundtable that had been organized in collaboration with the sister projects EASYRIGHTS, MIICT, WELCOME, NADINE, and REBUILD. Over 200 participants attended the Policy Roundtable, including researchers, representatives of international organizations (such as IOM, UNHCR and the European Commission), non-governmental organizations (such as the Red Cross) and municipalities.

On the first day, partners presented the service design and integration tools they developed in the course of their projects. The event provided a great opportunity for partners to compare different approaches, which all aim to complete the same goal: Assisting migrants’ integration through ICT-enabled solutions. The event highlighted the diversity of approaches and the importance of developing ICT tools in close collaboration with end-users.

The second day was dedicated to the topic of sustainability of solutions. In the different sessions the partners provided insights into their strategies for the uptake of ICT tools by service providers, such as local public administrations and non-governmental organization. As highlighted in the panel discussions, despite the general agreement on the advantages of using ICT tools to facilitate migrants’ integration, there are still some hurdles to be overcome in order to ensure the successful uptake of ICT solutions developed by the partners.

Jörg Nönnig, from HafenCity University Hamburg, presented the uptake and sustainability strategy of the MICADO project. He stressed the importance of considering two perspectives: first, the general perspective on uptake to ensure sustainability of usage, technical maintenance and continuing software development; second, the local perspective on uptake in cities, which needs to reflect the needs and demands of specific locations.

Important questions that were raised during the discussions concerned the topic of integration of ICT solutions in municipal ecosystems, the difficulty of standing out among the large number of IT solutions and apps on the market and the need to consider the specific needs of minority groups (such as impaired people, illiterate people, language minorities or people with limited IT skills) in the development of inclusive ICT tools.

Partners are currently working on a handbook which summarizes the main findings of the event. The handbook will be available publicly.

Links

https://www.micadoproject.eu/

https://www.easyrights.eu/2ndjointmigrationpolicyworkshop

Keywords

Migration, policy, roundtable, sustainability, uptake, ICT solutions