DYNAMIG project (2023-2025)

About the project

DYNAMIG is a three-year project that aims to create a more thorough understanding of how people make decisions on whether and how to migrate. We will analyse to what extent the diverse experiences of migrants are taken into consideration when migration policies – or policies that impact migration – are made. We will also look at how effective these policies are in shaping migrants’ decisions and behaviour.

The DYNAMIG project focuses on EU policies and on migrants from African countries and regions because Africa is the continent where proportionally the most people have aspirations to migrate and African countries are central to EU policies that aim to influence migration. Some of these policies aim to limit irregular border crossings, while others seek to improve living conditions elsewhere, promote regular migration or protect migrants’ rights.

But to analyse the extent to which EU policies influence migration movements and decisions on the African continent, we need to take into account the diversity of migrants’ personal experiences and consider policies in origin, transfer and host countries. That is why we will have conversations with migrants who are planning to leave, who are in transit and who have returned, and also look at African policies that impact migration.

Through this project, we aim to shed light on the complexities and challenges of migration and managing migration movements. We want to contribute to a more nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the diverse trajectories of migration and of policies that impact migration.

The DYNAMIG project employs a mix of innovative data collection and analysis methods and draws on a range of social sciences: development economics, geography, media, politics, sociology and social statistics. The project’s most detailed data collection will focus on five African countries from three regions: Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya.

Funding, timeline and partners

The DYNAMIG project is financed through the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme and will run from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2025. The project involves eight research institutes and universities in Europe and Africa, and is led by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

• Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany)
• ECDPM (the Netherlands and Belgium)
• Elizade University (Nigeria)
• African Migration and Development Policy Centre (Kenya)
• Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)
• University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
• European University Institute – Migration Policy Centre (Italy)
• Middlesex University Higher Education Corporation (United Kingdom)

This project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101094347.

ECDPM's contributions

ECDPM is deeply engaged in the research and leads the project's outreach and impact efforts, with a strong focus on bridging research and policymaking.

We contribute to DYNAMIG analysis and provide advice, training and support to the project team to enhance the policy relevance and uptake of DYNAMIG research. We organised six policy workshops in Brussels – held in 2023 and 2025 – and will host the project's final conference in late 2025, also in Brussels. We have also contributed to policy workshops organised by our partners in Nairobi and Rabat.

In addition, we have developed and implemented the project's visual identity, website, and outreach and impact strategy.

More information

For questions about the project, visit the project website or contact management coordinator Tobias Heidland. For communications or media enquiries related to the project, get in touch with Nina Thijssen.