Welcoming Spaces

What Welcoming Spaces does

Welcoming Spaces is a Horizon 2020 research consortium (grant agreement 870952) coordinated by Utrecht University that operated from 2019 to 2024 across five European countries — the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain. The project addressed two intersecting policy challenges: revitalising depopulating rural and peripheralised European regions and creating welcoming conditions for non-EU migrants seeking to build lives in those areas. It engaged local and regional policymakers, municipalities, NGOs, migrant communities, and academic audiences through multi-country field research, policy briefs, country reports, roundtables, conferences, and a community of practice.

The project's outputs include an interactive web-based mapping platform (developed by CEPAIM Foundation) documenting welcoming initiatives across the five partner countries, an extensive open-access library of academic publications and policy briefs, a photobook and documentary produced from field research (including PhotoVoice sessions in Talayuela, Spain), and a recurring International PhD School on Migration and Socioecological Change that has trained 17 doctoral researchers from 11 countries. The consortium comprises ten core partner organisations: Utrecht University, LVKK, University of Siegen, Plattform e.V., University of Bologna, FIERI, Warsaw School of Economics, Ocalenie Foundation, University of A Coruña, and CEPAIM Foundation. Collaboration extends to twin H2020 projects Whole-COMM and MATILDE.

Funding comes entirely from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme (call H2020-SC6-Migration-2019); Welcoming Spaces is not a commercial entity and does not generate revenue through product sales or licensing. Distribution is via open-access publications, the project website, conferences and roundtables, newsletters, and direct engagement with stakeholders. The funded programme concluded with a final conference in Utrecht on 21 June 2024.

Name

Welcoming Spaces

Legal name

Welcoming Spaces

Website

https://welcomingspaces.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Welcoming Spaces is a completed Horizon 2020 research consortium (2019–2024) coordinated by Utrecht University that studied how non-EU migrant integration can revitalise shrinking European regions across the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, delivering policy research, an interactive map, and a Community of Practice for practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migration Research Services

NAICS

Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Adjustment & Integration Services (intercultural programs, community connection) (EDALANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN), Cultural/Language-Exchange Home Stays (THAMABAJ)

Keywords

• Migration research
• Horizon 2020 project
• Rural revitalisation
• Migrant integration
• Academic consortium

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grant Funding: Funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, call H2020-SC6-Migration-2019, under grant agreement 870952. The project is a non-commercial academic research initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Welcoming Spaces is a transnational research project that investigates how hosting non-EU migrants can contribute to the revitalisation of shrinking European areas. It delivers comparative academic research, country reports and policy recommendations, supported by a dedicated interactive map dashboard and a Community of Practice that synthesises lessons across five partner countries. Outputs include an International PhD School, a best-practices report, a documentary film ("Si ka badu, ka ta biradu"), and an open-access photobook.

Product overview

Welcoming Spaces is an H2020 research programme (2019-2024) coordinated by Utrecht University that studies how to contribute to the revitalisation of shrinking areas in the EU while offering welcoming spaces for non-EU migrants. Rather than a unified software product, the project delivers a portfolio of research outputs and tools including: the Welcoming Spaces Interactive Map (a web-based collaborative mapping platform developed by CEPAIM), published research reports (Best Practices and Lessons Learned report), multimedia content (documentary, photobook), educational programmes (International PhD School on Migration and Socioecological Change), and a library of academic publications, country reports, and policy briefs. The project operated across five European countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Welcoming Spaces Interactive Map Web-based interactive mapping dashboard that visualises Welcoming Spaces research findings on migration and shrinking European areas, developed by CEPAIM as a knowledge-sharing tool for researchers, policymakers and practitioners.
• Report on Best Practices and Lessons Learned Synthesising publication presenting best practices and lessons learned from the Welcoming Spaces comparative research on migration in shrinking regions, aimed at municipalities, NGOs and policymakers.
• Documentary "Si ka badu, ka ta biradu" Documentary film produced by the Welcoming Spaces project as a research-output communication tool illustrating migrant experiences in shrinking European areas.
• Welcoming Spaces Photobook Open-access photobook produced by the consortium as a creative dissemination output accompanying its research on migration and shrinking European areas.
• International PhD School on Migration and Socioecological Change International doctoral training programme on migration and socioecological change, delivered as part of the Welcoming Spaces project for PhD students and early-career researchers working on migration and shrinking regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research conducted in 5 European countries over 4 years
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Utrecht UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator and lead research institution. Hosted at Faculty of Geosciences, Human Geography and Spatial Planning Department. Professor Annelies Zoomers serves as Principal Investigator; Dr. Karin Geuijen as Project Coordinator.
• LVKKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Association of Small Settlements in the Netherlands, providing expertise on rural development and shrinking regions.
• University of SiegencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman research partner conducting field research in German shrinking regions (Thuringia, Rhineland-Palatinate). Led by Dr. Sabine Meier.
• Plattform e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman NGO partner working on integration and welcoming initiatives in German shrinking regions, including Saalfeld roundtable.
• University of BolognacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian research partner conducting field research on shrinking areas and migrant integration. Contributed analysis of Italian internal areas and COVID-19 impacts.
• FIERIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational and European Forum on Migration Research (Italy), organizing documentary festivals on migration and contributing to policy discussions.
• Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish research partner studying migrant integration in shrinking regions of Poland, including Łomża. Led by Dr. Joanna Zuzanna Popławska.
• Ocalenie FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish NGO providing support to migrants and refugees, including during COVID-19 pandemic. Represented by Katarzyna Kubińska.
• University of A CoruñacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish research partner (ESOMI team) studying migration in Galicia, including municipalities of Celanova and Burela. Led by Prof. Dr. Laura Oso Casas.
• CEPAIM FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish NGO implementing nuevos senderos (new paths) projects for social and labour inclusion of migrants in rural localities. Developed the interactive map of welcoming spaces. Led by Carmen Ayllón.
• Whole-COMM ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 project with which Welcoming Spaces issued a joint declaration in April 2022 on activating the migration-development link in medium and small municipalities in Italy.
• MATILDE ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 research project collaborating with Welcoming Spaces, particularly in organizing the International PhD School on Migration and Socioecological Change.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CIDOB - Barcelona Centre for International Affairs: Barcelona-based research centre producing migration and mobility research with strong EU and Mediterranean focus. Comparable in producing applied policy research, though operating as a permanent think tank rather than a time-limited H2020 project.

Direct peers

• CEASEVAL Project: Horizon 2020 research project evaluating policies and practices on radicalisation, with overlaps in EU migration policy research and multi-country consortium structure.
• Whole-COMM Project: H2020 research project explicitly partnered with Welcoming Spaces (joint declaration April 2022) studying migration-development links in small and medium-sized municipalities, particularly in Italy. Directly comparable in scope, funding source and consortium structure.
• RESPOND Project: Horizon 2020 project on the multilevel governance of migration. Comparable EU-funded migration research consortium addressing integration and policy responses across European countries.
• MATILDE Project: Horizon 2020 migration research project that co-organised the International PhD School with Welcoming Spaces. Shares EU funding lineage and a research focus on migration impacts in European regions.

Broad incumbents

• OECD Migration Studies: OECD division producing International Migration Outlook and policy papers that shape European and global migration debates. Provides the macro evidence base against which Welcoming Spaces' rural integration findings are benchmarked.
• Migration Policy Institute (MPI Europe): Established think tank producing policy analysis on migration and integration globally, including European programmes. A natural reference point for Welcoming Spaces' policy briefs and country reports.
• International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD): Intergovernmental organisation supporting migration policy dialogue and capacity building, including in EU member states. Closely aligned with the integration and capacity-building themes of the Welcoming Spaces consortium.
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE): Umbrella NGO coalition working on asylum and refugee policy across Europe. Operates at pan-European scale on issues adjacent to Welcoming Spaces' integration and reception research.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): The leading intergovernmental organisation in the migration field, providing global policy guidance, data and operational support that contextualises Welcoming Spaces' regional research within broader international frameworks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/welcomingspaces

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Welcoming Spaces