What International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe Research Network does

IMISCOE (International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe Research Network) is a non-profit academic research network founded in 2004/2005 and headquartered at the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège, Belgium, which assumed coordination of the network in April 2022. IMISCOE connects 73 member institutes and over 1,500 scholars worldwide, organized around twelve standing committees spanning topics including forced migration, race and racism, citizenship, transnationalism, gender and sexuality, labor markets, and methodological approaches. The network's core offerings are the flagship Annual Conference (23rd edition hosted in Girona with approximately 1,400 participants), the open-access Comparative Migration Studies journal, the IMISCOE Book Series, the Migration Research Hub digital platform, PhD Academy and PhD Network training programs, international winter and summer schools, an audio podcast, twelve committee blogs, and two named annual awards (Maria Ioannis Baganha Dissertation Award and Rinus Penninx Best Paper Award).

The network operates without proprietary technology products; its platform consists of a web infrastructure for membership services, conference management, content dissemination, and the Migration Research Hub (migrationresearch.com) which aggregates publications, datasets, and projects. Business model revenue derives from two documented streams: recurring institutional membership fees paid by the 73 member institutes, and one-time conference registration fees; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. There are no external funding rounds, no commercial ownership, no API integrations, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities — the organization functions as a scholarly consortium rather than a technology or commercial enterprise.

Governance is structured through a Board of Directors and an Executive Board, with day-to-day operations managed by the Network Office embedded within CEDEM. Growth and dissemination are driven by community-led, word-of-mouth dynamics within the academic migration studies field, supplemented by rotating European host cities for the annual conference, digital marketing through the website and newsletters, podcast and blog content, and targeted PhD training events that feed the talent pipeline. Distribution is effectively global via the open-access journal and digital research hub, though primary membership density remains European.

Name

International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe Research Network

Legal name

International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe Research Network

Website

https://imiscoe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IMISCOE is a non-profit academic research network connecting 73 member institutes and over 1,500 migration studies scholars worldwide. It runs the flagship Annual Conference, the open-access Comparative Migration Studies journal, twelve standing committees, and PhD training programs, coordinated from the University of Liège.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Network

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Migration, Refugees & Labor Mobility IGOs (BPADAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Classroom Integration Support (Study Skills, Academic Norms, Integrity) (EDAIAKAG), Cultural Adjustment & Integration Services (intercultural programs, community connection) (EDALANAD)

Keywords

• Academic research networks
• Migration studies research
• Scholarly conference services
• Academic publishing services
• PhD training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Liège

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Fees: Member institutes pay membership fees to be part of the IMISCOE network, contributing to the coordination and operational costs of the network.
2. Annual Conference Revenue: The annual conferences generate revenue through registration fees for participants attending the events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IMISCOE is a non-profit academic research network that connects 73 member institutes and over 1,500 scholars worldwide for collaborative research on migration, integration, and social cohesion. Its core offerings include an annual conference (the 23rd edition attracted ~1,400 participants), 12 standing research committees, PhD training through the PhD Academy and PhD Network, open-access publishing via the Comparative Migration Studies journal and book series, and the Migration Research Hub digital platform.

Product overview

IMISCOE is a research network offering a platform-based portfolio of products and services centered around academic research and professional development in migration studies. The core offering consists of the Annual Conference (the flagship annual gathering), supported by specialized Standing Committees (12 research groups), the PhD Academy and PhD Network (training programs), and the Migration Research Hub (research platform). Additional products include the Comparative Migration Studies journal, the IMISCOE Book Series (open access publications), the IMISCOE Podcast, International Winter/Summer Schools, and two academic awards. These offerings are interconnected: conferences host award ceremonies, the research hub aggregates publications from the journal and book series, and training programs feed into the broader network community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IMISCOE Annual Conference
• PhD Academy
• PhD Network
• IMISCOE Standing Committees
• Migration Research Hub
• Comparative Migration Studies Journal
• IMISCOE Book Series
• International Winter and Summer Schools
• Institutional Membership

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM), University of LiègecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDEM at the University of Liège assumed coordination of IMISCOE in April 2022. This is the central coordination hub for the network, managing the Network Office, annual reports, and overall organizational administration. CEDEM's assumption of coordination represents the fourth annual report published under their stewardship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Migration Institute (IMI) at the University of Oxford: IMI is a leading academic research center producing comparative migration research, working papers, and policy briefings. It is a direct peer in scholarly output, research focus, and engagement with European migration policy debates.
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR): ECPR is a similar European-based academic research network that organizes standing research groups, annual conferences, and training programs for political scientists. It is directly comparable to IMISCOE in operating model, membership-based governance, and conference-driven community engagement.
• Sussex Centre for Migration Research (SCMR): SCMR is a university-based migration research centre producing interdisciplinary academic research on migration. It is directly comparable to IMISCOE in academic positioning and thematic focus, even though it is a single-institution centre rather than a multi-institute network.
• Council for European Studies (CES): CES is an academic membership organization that supports scholarly research on Europe through conferences, fellowships, and publications. It mirrors IMISCOE's model of convening scholars around a defined geographic/substantive scope and providing publication and training infrastructure.
• Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford: COMPAS is an ESRC-funded research centre conducting interdisciplinary migration research with policy relevance. It shares IMISCOE's interdisciplinary research approach and orientation toward both academic and policy audiences in Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Migration Policy Institute (MPI): MPI is a larger, globally operating think tank that analyzes migration policy and produces publications, data, and events. While it overlaps thematically with IMISCOE, it is not a member-based academic network and operates with a more policy-driven mandate.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM is the leading global intergovernmental organization on migration, operating worldwide. It is much larger than IMISCOE and oriented toward operational migration management rather than academic research, but is highly relevant as a broader incumbent in the same thematic space.
• International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD): ICMPD is an intergovernmental organization coordinating European migration policy dialogue and capacity-building. It overlaps with IMISCOE on European migration focus but serves government clients rather than academic members.

Emerging players

• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): CEPS is a European think tank producing policy research including on migration and integration. It overlaps with IMISCOE on European policy research topics but operates as a single think tank rather than a multi-institute scholarly network.

Regional players

• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE): ECRE is a European NGO network coordinating refugee-assisting organizations and producing research and advocacy. It shares IMISCOE's regional European focus and network-of-organizations structure, though it is policy/advocacy-oriented rather than academic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMISCOE
• Facebookfacebook.com/imiscoe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imiscoe-research-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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