Hosted by The University of Manchester and Manchester City Council, in collaboration with Roma Voices of Manchester CIC

Keynote speakers:

• Huub van Baar, University of Amsterdam/ University of Giessen
• Elena Marushiakova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Abstracts are invited for presentations at the MigRom final conference, to take place in Manchester, UK, on 17-19 January 2017. We are seeking papers that address any of the following themes in relation to the East-West migration of Roma: Spatial and social mobility, notions of community and inclusion, social change, external perception and interaction with institutions and media, policy and public debates, self-reliance and participation.

Twelve papers will be selected for presentation by a panel of the MigRom consortium.

Authors of the selected presentations will receive full accommodation and board at the conference venue and partial reimbursement of travel expenses.

Abstracts of up to 400 words plus references, along with a one-page CV, should be sent to the MigRom project manager, Charlotte Jones [charlotte.jones@manchester.ac.uk] by 30 May 2016.

Dowload the call in pdf here.

Main objective

The European Academic Network on Romani Studies is offering up to 20 travel grants on a first come first served basis. Members of the Network are invited to submit applications for the final showcase event on ‘Policies for Roma inclusion: The contribution of academic research’ at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 22 April 2015 (see the program annexed). The aim of these grants is to enable and encourage members interested and experienced in the topic addressed by the event to attend and actively contribute to the discussions and the success of this event.

Priorities

The main target group for these grants is members of the Network who have contributed previously to the topic of the event. Potential participants are expected to engage actively in the discussions of the event and critically contribute to the success of the debates.

Eligibility

Grants are offered on the following conditions:

a) applicant should be member of the network;

b) he/she should have experience in the topic addressed;

c) the applicant should demonstrate that he/she is willing to make a contribution to the success of the event by sending short letter of intent (1 page max).

 Procedure

Applications should be sent to the secretary before 28 February 2015. They will be checked for eligibility and awarded grants on a first come first served basis. The applicants will be notified within a week and in the case of awarding the grant they will be offered support in the form of reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses following the event, upon presentation of the supporting documents.

Deadline

Applications should be sent to the Secretary of the Network by 28 February 2015 the latest.

Checklist

Please make sure that you have submitted the following documents:

• Completed application form;
• A short motivation letter (1 page max);
• Other supporting documents; such as the list of relevant contributions to the domain.

Contact

Inquiries and all documents should be e-mailed to: Mr László Fosztó, Secretary of the Network <rsnet.secretary@gmail.com>, and Ms Katharina Fouquet <katharina.fouquet@coe.int>, at the Council of Europe.

See the draft agenda and download the application form.

A Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015: Critical perspectives on education research, initiatives and interventions

The Decade of Roma Inclusion (2005-2015) can be understood as a joint effort of European governments and international organizations to fight exclusion and marginalization of Roma communities. Based on coordination efforts and financial support that has been institutionalized through the establishment of the Decade Secretariat, the Decade Trust Fund and the Roma Education Fund, the Decade has been the core reference and baseline framework for a multitude of research activities, initiatives and interventions with education being a key priority.

The Decade has contributed to the internationalization of Roma education discourse and triggered large-scale fundraising possibilities for education. Nevertheless, only little change has been observed at the local level and many Roma communities seem not to have benefited from this international endeavor.

Coming close to the end of the Decade and being at a point where next steps are being discussed but have not yet been decided, this special issue attempts to look at the last ten years of Roma inclusion in the field of education. It welcomes papers that critically look at education research, initiatives and interventions. Researchers who intend to publish in this special issue might for example:

• analyze the tremendous amount of scientific research that has been published in the last ten years;
• scrutinize large-scale applied research / intervention projects (e.g. INCLUD-ED, EduMigRom, EduRom, RomaMatrix, QUALIROM and others) that have been implemented over the last ten years; or
• examine educational activities/projects/political initiatives related to or facilitated through the Decade of Roma Inclusion.

Interested researchers might also investigate unintended effects of international education policy, question how international education initiatives have been ignored, re-framed or even misused at the local level and/or compare different contextualizations of education research, initiatives and interventions. Studies that try to understand underlying and possibly conflicting understandings of social justice, equality of opportunity and/or affirmative action are also welcome.

Each paper should contextualize the field of inquiry with a look back covering part or all of the period 2005–2015. We kindly ask those who do not speak English as a family language to have their paper edited for language prior to submission if necessary.

The call is a continuation of a discussion that started at the 2014 conference of the Comparative Education Society in Europe with the panel “Governing Roma Education: International Initiatives and National Idiosyncrasies” and follows a panel at the 2015 conference of the Comparative and International Education Society entitled “A Decade of Roma Inclusion: Local-Level Analysis of Persistent Educational Segregation”. The call is related to a symposium proposal submitted to the European Conference of Education Research in Budapest entitled “A Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015: (Session 1) Theoretical Perspectives on Education and Policy Discourses, (Session 2) Educational Initiatives and Interventions”. Having presented at one of these sessions is, however, not a precondition for submitting an expression of interest.

Expressions of interest should be sent to christian.brueggemann(at)hu-berlin.de by 1st of May 2015 in the form of an outline of about 1.000 – 1.200 words (objectives, theoretical framework, modes of inquiry, data sources). Selected full papers should be submitted by 1st of October 2015. Submitted papers will be subject to a blind peer review and selected on the basis of academic merit (clarity, coherence, relevance, rigor, appropriateness of theoretical/conceptual literature and methodological grounding).

About the journal: European Education is an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to original inquiries and dialogue on education among the member states of the Council of Europe. The journal features articles on education in individual member states as well as the impact of European education initiatives globally. The journal particularly encourages theoretical and empirical studies, interdisciplinary perspectives, and critical examination of the impact of political, economic, and social forces on education. The journal is published by Taylor & Francis (http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/meue20#.VNpiy0LZrds).

February 2015,

Christian Brüggemann (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin)

Eben Friedman (European Centre for Minority Issues)

The Network offers support to events involving both academics and policy makers aiming at bridging the gap between academia and political stakeholders.

Background

The Scientific Committee of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies decided at its last meeting in September 2013 to allocate a part of the resources of the Network to support actions organised by Network members with the aim of building bridges between the world of academics and that of policy makers. (For the full list of decisions please read the Report http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/romastudies/Report_5th_SC_Meeting_25Sept2013_final.pdf). This decision is in line with the main purpose of the Network project, which aims to raise the visibility of the existing scientific resources on Roma related issues in order to ultimately assist and improve the planning, implementation and monitoring/evaluation of public policies for the social inclusion of the European Roma population.

We therefore call for proposals for the organisation of thematic meetings and workshops involving both academics and policy makers.

Call 1: Thematic meetings on issues which are relevant for policy makers

These meetings should focus on a particular topic which is highly relevant for the policy making community and to which the input from academics can be beneficial and valuable. The involvement and active participation of policy makers are crucial criteria. Proposals should demonstrate how the exchange between academics and policy makers on that particular topic could be used in the policy planning / implementation / evaluation process.

Call 2: Workshops with the objective of raising the profile of Romani Studies, also involving policy makers

These workshops would serve to raise the awareness of existing results, research in progress, and ongoing debates within Romani Studies among non-academics, with particular focus on policy makers and political stakeholders. These events should promote the ideas and results from high quality research in this domain in order to engage stakeholders in exchanges between the spheres of academics and policy makers.

Eligibility

Members of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies are eligible to submit proposals. Non-members can be co-opted as participants in the organising teams and their contribution (as presented in their CVs) will also be evaluated. All events should include policy makers as participants in active roles (not only as audience). Priority is given to proposals which have an explicit involvement of policy makers and political stakeholders. Forms of involvement can include: partnership agreements with local, regional or national authorities / active participation of the policy makers in the event organised /  the event produces a policy paper as an outcome which will be used/implemented by the authorities.

Time frame and location of the events

Meetings should be planned not earlier than 15 May 2014 and not later than 30 April 2015. Events can be proposed in any of the Council of Europe member states.

Eligible expenses

• Travel costs
• Accommodation
• Meals for the participants (including coffee breaks)
• Fees for the main speakers
• Workshop materials
• Meeting room
• Translation

Procedure for evaluation

The proposals should be submitted to the Secretary. They will be registered and applicants notified. Proposals submitted before 24 March 2014 will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee at the forthcoming meeting on 6-7 April 2014. There will subsequent rounds of the call (the next deadline will be in the autumn of 2014) proposals received will be evaluated during the future meetings of the Scientific Committee. Evaluations are based on the Criteria of evaluation (see next section). All applicants will receive a notification regarding the results and the list of supported proposals will be published on the website.

Criteria for evaluation

The proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. academic quality of the proposal (argumentation, methodology, references and data sources),
2. relevance of the proposed topic for policy making (how the research discussed is connected to the work of the practitioners),
3. proposed outcome of the workshop (the benefit for the participants for attending this particular event)
4. ability of the applicants to engage in critical discussion regarding the broader issues of Romani Studies (demonstrated by published work on the topic of the workshops and related issues),
5. experience of the applicant in organising events involving a non-academic audience (in particular working with stakeholders or policy makers).

Deadline for submitting proposals: 24 March 2014

All proposals and related materials should be sent to the Secretary rsnet.secretary@gmail.com by 24 March 20014.

Checklist:

• Completed application form
• CVs of the organising team
• Proposal (describing the event, number of participants, proposed budget, outcomes)
• Preliminary programme of the event
• Proof of participation / endorsement letter from the policy makers involved

Download the application form.

Call for Interest: Training for officials of the European Commission on Education of the Roma in Europe. This call issued in order to recruit interested experts who are willing to deliver this training.

Submit proposals by: 8 December 2013 (new deadline).

The main objective

The European Commission would like to draw upon the expertise of the network in order to organise a series of training for its staff on topics related to Roma inclusion. This call issued in order to recruit interested experts who are willing to deliver these trainings. The first of such interactive training would focus on education, and could take place in January. The idea would be to provide an overview of the situation of Roma education across Europe and engage the audience in a frank, closed-door debate on the main issues and challenges. Some key NGOs, such as the Roma Education Fund, may also be invited to participate. The selected experts for this training (a panel of three-four people) will work together with the Commission to define a precise programme.

The target group

The target group for these trainings are the officials of the Commission dealing with education, employment and social inclusion, and / or with management of structural funds.

Eligibility

Members of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies are eligible to apply either as individual experts or as a group of trainers (3-4 people) with well defined individual training topics. Scholars with field experience in different Member States, researchers with in-depth knowledge on particular data-sets or with experience in comparative studies, and with a European level outlook are welcome. Previous experience in offering training to non-academic audience is essential. Applicants should be available to travel to Brussels and deliver the training on an agreed date in the period January 2014. Good command of English is required.

Procedure of selection

The applications will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the Scientific Committee of the Network. The selected trainers will be notified and the programme of the training session will be finalised together with the representatives of the European Commission.

Criteria for evaluation

The proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. academic quality of the proposal (the argument, methodology, references, and data sources),
2. the relevance of the proposed topic for policy making (how the research discussed is connected to the work of the practitioners),
3. the proposed outcome of the training session (the benefit for the participants for attending this particular training)
4. the ability of the applicant to engage in critical discussion regarding the broader issues related to the education of the Roma (demonstrated by published work on education of the Roma and related topics),
5. the experience of the applicant in providing trainings for non-academic audience (in particular working with stakeholders or policy makers).

Timing

Applications should be sent to the Secretary rsnet.secretary@gmail.com by 8 December 2013. The list of selected trainers will be published in early December and the final date of the training session will be agreed subsequently for January 2014. The training session might last from half a day to one full day.

Funding

The Commission will cover travel expenses to Brussels and pay a fee for the trainers. Candidates are invited to include an estimated amount in terms of their expenses and a proposed fee.

Checklist

• Completed application form,
• CV of the proposed trainer(s) highlighting the experience in the domain,
• Proposal for the topic of the training indicating the theoretical and / or empirical focus of the training offered, references and data sources proposed for being used.

• Group-applications should also submit a separate document with a short framework concept for the whole session and a schedule of the individual components offered.

Download this call and the application form.

• Quotes are expected by 10 November 2013.

Background

This website is the main communication and visibility tool of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies. It contains sections on the project, the Scientific Committee, events, call for applications and members. Each member has his/her own profile, can log into the website and update information about his/her own activity. The main content of the website is produced and maintained by the Network Secretary, news items are posted, member profiles added and managed, call for applications posted.

The three main functions of the website are 1) to allow and facilitate flexible communication between the members, 2) to provide a user friendly and easily navigable / searchable database of experts and research for non-members, in particular those who are looking for policy relevant knowledge, and 3) to raise the visibility of the existing research on Roma-related topics and promote the network as an integrative project and access point to Roma-related expertise.

We call for a contracter who will provide renewal, maintenance, as well as upgrades and technical support for the page.

Main objectives of the contract

1. renew, maintain, upgrade and provide technical support for  the romanistudies.eu-website;
2. renew the design of the romanistudies.eu-website keeping the main elements of the visual identity of the Network in line with the requirements of the sponsors (EC and CoE );
3. upgrade the site by adding new features (details in the terms of reference );
4. extend and make more user-friendly the existing features and functionalities;
5. facilitate the integration and interaction of the website with the other online-platforms and social media managed by the Network;
6. optimize the use of the website on different operating systems;
7. offer consultancy and advice at request for improving the page.

 Eligibility

Companies with profile and experience in web design and development n are welcome. Convincing track record and references in website development with multiple user profiles and databases is expected. Experience working with WorldPress is an asset.

Procedure

Detailed price offers (quotes) shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Network (rsnet.secretary@gmail.com). The quotes will be evaluated by the Secretariat against a price / quality criteria taking into consideration previous experience with the operation of the existing site.

Timeline

• Quotes are expected by 10 November 2013.
• The contract period is 1 December 2013– 31 May 2015.
• The website should stay fully functional after the end of the contract period by guaranteeing its hosting until 1 December 2018 or later.

General conditions

The http://romanistudies.eu – domain name is the property of the Council of Europe. Full access should be guaranteed (respecting the appropriate security) for the administrators and editors of the site. The website will be kept under the same domain-name and the existing links should remain functional (documents are referring to the site so the links should stay active). The database of the members should be maintained and developed further by adding new features to the advanced search (as described in the technical specifications).

Download this call and the technical specifications.

a)      Evaluating the results and experiences of the First Phase of Network-project (2011-2013);
b)      Fine-tuning the planning for the Second Phase of the Project (2013-2015);
c)      Identifying and expanding synergies and the potential involvement in the work of the EC, the CoE and other relevant bodies.
d)     Overviewing the internal operation of the network and the communication strategy.
e)      Electing the Chair of the Scientific Committee for the forthcoming period September 2013-March 2014.

The meeting day has been divided into two morning sessions (09:30-11:30 and 12:00-13:30) and an afternoon session (15:00-17:00). The topics a), b) and c) has been  were discussed and decisions adopted during the morning sessions while points d) and e) has been were addressed during the afternoon.
Two special guest attended the morning session: Mr Sixto Molina Head of the Support Team for the SRSGR participated in the exchanges with particular focus on the cooperation between the Network and other Roma-related actions at the Council of Europe and Ms Gaëlle Lenfant Vice-President of the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has addressed her welcome to the SC and to the Network in Marseilles, European Capital of Culture, 2013.

You will find a photo album about the meeting on the Facebook page of the network.

Here is the final report on the meeting.

Main objective

The European Academic Network on Romani Studies is offering a number of travel grants on a competitive basis. Members of the Network are invited to submit applications for full or partial funding of their participation at the Academic Seminar: “European dimension of Roma Culture: scientific and political discourses” organised in Marseilles on 26 September 2013 (see the program).

The aim of these grants is to enable and encourage members interested and experienced in the topic addresses by the seminar to attend and actively contribute to the discussions and the success of this event.

Priorities

The main target group for these grants are members of the Network who have contributed previously to the domain of the topic of the seminar (i.e. the analysis of Romani Culture, or some particular subarea of it). Potential participants are expected to engage actively in the discussions of the seminar and critically contribute to the success of the debates.

Eligibility

Grants are offered on the following conditions:

a) applicants should be members of the network;

b) he/she should have experience in the demonstrated by the list of publications and/or conference participations or other contributions (exhibitions organised, documentary film produced etc.);

c) the applicant should demonstrate that he/she is willing to make a contribution to the success of the seminar by sending short letter of motivation (1 page max).

Eligible expenses

The following categories of expenses are supported by the grants:

• Travel;
• Visa to the European Union;
• Other expenses related to the travel.

The organisers will offer pre-paid accommodation for the selected candidates (for two nights: 25 and 26 September).

Procedure

Applications should be sent to the secretary before 25 August 2013. They will be checked for eligibility and prepared for the review. All applications will be reviewed by the Evaluation Committee appointed by the Scientific Committee.

The applicants will be notified within a week and in the case of awarding the grant they will be offered full/partial support in the form of reimbursement of travel expenses following the event, upon presentation of the travel documents. The arrangement of a pre-paid ticket can be requested (in particular situations) and it will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Deadline

Applications should be sent to the Secretary of the Network by 25 August 2013 the latest.

Checklist

Please make sure that you have submitted the following documents:

• Completed application form;
• A short motivation letter (1 page max);
• Other supporting documents; such as the list of relevant contributions to the domain.

 Contact

Inquiries and all documents should be e-mailed to: Mr László Fosztó, Secretary of the Network <rsnet.secretary@gmail.com>, and Ms Katharina Fouquet <katharina.fouquet@coe.int>, at the Council of Europe.

Download the application form here.

UPDATE: See the Seminar Proposals and Research Internships offered funding within this call.

Call to members

Background

The Scientific Committee of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies decided at its meeting in June 2012 to allocate some of the Network’s resources to a programme to support the participation of early career researchers of Romani background in academia. This decision was taken based on the recognition that the Network has a special responsibility toward promoting Romani participation in academic research in general and in Romani studies in particular. The Network also recognises the benefits of involving researchers of Romani background in research in Romani studies, including but not limited to the enrichment of conceptual perspectives, the expansion of fieldwork opportunities, and introspection. The Network and its sponsors therefore wish to address the issue of under-representation of Roma in academic forums while at the same time maintaining an ethos of scientific rigour and standards of academic quality. In this spirit, the Scientific Committee is inviting responses from members to the following Calls. Proposals and enquiries should be directed to the Network Secretary, László Fosztó <rsnet.secretary@gmail.com>.

Call 1: Proposal for organising a research seminar

Network members are invited to make proposals for a thematic research seminar of 1-3 days that will address specifically early career researchers (Ma and PhD students and graduates up to five years after completion) of Romani background. The proposal should include the following details:

– Name of the proposal author, academic affiliation, and contact details

– Title and theme of the proposed seminar (note that a specific thematic focus is preferred but proposals that seek to give an overview of a research problem from different perspectives will also be considered)

– Rationale for the proposed theme (its relevance to early career researchers of Romani background)

– Nominated lecturers (up to four including the organiser/ proposal author): name, position and affiliation, brief statement on expertise, and contact details

– Proposed programme for the seminar

– Proposed dates and venue

– A preliminary budget proposal, to include travel to and from and accommodation in the selected venue for up to 12 participants and up to 4 lecturers, and any related expenses (these should be explained and justified). The maximum budget is €12,000.

The closing date for proposals is 1 December 2012. Seminars must take place before June 2013.

Call 2: Proposal for organising a fieldwork seminar

Network members are invited to make proposals for a fieldwork seminar of 2-3 days that will address specifically early career researchers (Ma and PhD students and graduates up to five years after completion) of Romani background. Fieldwork seminars should offer participants guidance in planning fieldwork and/or archive research work, and should build into the programme a concrete opportunity to pilot the fieldwork/archive work plan and to assess its results.

The proposal should include the following details:

– Name of the proposal author, academic affiliation, and contact details

– Title and theme of the proposed fieldwork/archive research (note that a specific thematic focus is preferred but proposals that seek to give an overview of a research problem from different perspectives will also be considered)

– Rationale for the proposed theme (its relevance to early career researchers of Romani background)

– Nominated second instructor (in addition to the proposal author): name, position and affiliation, brief statement on expertise, and contact details

– Proposed programme for the seminar

– Proposed dates, venue, and fieldwork location

– A preliminary budget proposal, to include travel to and from and accommodation in the selected venue for up to 6 participants and up to 2 instructors, and any related expenses (these should be explained and justified). The maximum budget is €7,000.

The closing date for proposals is 1 December 2012. Seminars must take place before June 2013.

Call 3: Proposal for internship at an academic institution

Network members are invited to nominate early career researchers (Ma and PhD students and graduates up to five years after completion) of Romani background for an internship of up to two months at the member’s academic institution. Note that ‘Romani background’ will be determined on the basis of applicants’ self-declaration and mention of their Romani background in the academic reference provided by the Network member.

The proposal should include the following details:

– Name of the proposal author, academic affiliation, and contact details

– Details of the nominee, including an updated CV, the nominee’s statement of intent containing a research plan, and a letter from the nominee explaining how they will benefit from the internship

– A letter of nomination and academic reference from the proposal author (host) and academic reference from a full member of the Network, and a statement of from the applicant along with the applicant’s CV.

– A letter of confirmation from the host institution confirming that it will be able to facilitate an internship of up to two months

– Proposed dates of the internship

– Preliminary budget including the intern’s travel to and from the host institution, accommodation and subsistence, and institution fees if applicable. Total costs for one internship may not exceed €3,000.

The closing date for proposals is 1 December 2012. Internships must take place before June 2013.

Call 4: Dissemination of academic papers by early career researchers of Romani background

Network members and affiliated members of Romani background are invited to submit their academic work for publication on the Network’s website. Submissions should include the following details:

– An electronic version of the paper, in Word of PDF format

– The paper’s format should include a) the title of the paper, b) author’s name and affiliation and/or contact details, c) year of completion/publication/ submission, d) up to ten keywords for indexing purposes.

– At least one letter of reference from an established academic who is a full member of the Network recommending online publication of the paper.

Submissions will be considered from 1 September 2012.

You can download this call in PDF here.

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) currently accepts applications for the Robert Bosch Fellowships 2013 from countries of ex-communist South-Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.

The IWM will provide fellows with an office, access to internet, research and administrative facilities. Visiting Fellows will receive a stipend in the amount of Eur 4,000 per month. Junior Visiting Fellows will receive a stipend of Eur 1,500 per month. The 6-month research term must be completed between January and December 2013.

All details of the application procedure are available on the IWM site.