Impact Hub 2024-2026

Basic idea and goal

The Impact Hub of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy Hamburg (IFSH) and the Free University of Berlin/SCRIPTS is a research consortium that supports the Federal Foreign Office in identifying and improving the conditions for the effectiveness of integrated peace engagement. The consortium is cooperating with the Federal Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Foundation, which are jointly funding the collaboration with 2.1 million euros from the end of 2024 to the end of 2026. The Viadrina is responsible for managing the consortium.

The Impact Hub brings together the various knowledge interests and specialised scientific and practical expertise of the consortium partners in the field of peace engagement and combines the complementary scientific approaches of the previous science hubs at the Federal Foreign Office (Viadrina Mediation Hub, Security Sector Reform Hub of the IFSH, Rule of Law Promotion Hub of the FU Berlin) into one structure.

In order to better understand the prerequisites for the effectiveness of Germany's integrated peace engagement and to develop concrete options for improvement, the Hub accompanies exemplary relevant engagements in four regions (West Africa, Western Balkans, Middle East, Ukraine). The aim is to improve the political decision-making basis for impact-oriented planning and management of engagements in highly complex conflict contexts - where possible also beyond the contexts supported.

The Impact Hub works alongside the process, with a particular focus on the Federal Foreign Office's stabilisation commitments in the areas of conflict mediation, security and the promotion of democracy and resilience. Cooperation with other departments and with local and multilateral partners is also being considered in order to capture the interlinking of various leverage effects.

Guiding questions

Exemplary questions that the Hub addresses are:

• What are the prerequisites for Germany's commitment to peace to be effective or more effective in principle and in view of the massive current shifts (from funding reductions to geopolitical upheavals)?
• What blocks, what increases effectiveness, what can produce harmful effects? Where can the leverage effects of different approaches and instruments interlock, where do they need to be decoupled so that they do not sabotage each other?
• Where are there genuine conflicts of objectives and dilemmas that make it difficult to ensure that different approaches and departments mesh well, for example between foreign and security policy interests and humanitarian obligations in dealing with autocratic regimes or non-state armed groups?
• How can the structural conditions for effectiveness be improved in cooperation with local actors? What distribution of ownership roles between local, national and international actors increases effectiveness?

Focal points, roles and contributions of the Viadrina team

The Viadrina team in the Hub works on the Hub's impact issues with scientific and practical expertise in the areas of mediation and dialogue, dilemma management and nexus navigation. It supports key players from the Federal Foreign Office and local and international organisations in identifying blockages and dilemmas as well as unused leverage effects in integrated engagements and developing new options for action on this basis. Viadrina coordinates the hub's activities in the Western Balkans and Ukraine and contributes to activities in the Middle East and West Africa.

Representation of the consortium leadership/coordination Ukraine: Anne Holper
Scientific project management: Thomas Eissler
Management: Christian Hochmuth
Divisional Head of Conflict Mediation: Lars Kirchhoff
Special Expertise Diplomacy/Coordination Western Balkans: Else Keyers
Special expertise civil society and dialogue: Laura Gerards Iglesias
Special expertise Ukraine/Civil society and dialogue: Tetiana Kyselova
Scientific support: Zoe Rentmeister and Greta Herzig

Western Balkans
Coordination: EUV/Else Keyers
Contributors: Thomas Eißler, Greta Herzig, Anne Holper, Else Keyers, Lars Kirchhoff

West Africa
Coordination: IFSH
Contributions: Anne Holper, Lars Kirchhoff, Claudia Wiehler, Zoe Rentmeister

Middle East
Coordination: FU/SCRIPTS
Contribution: Lars Kirchhoff

Ukraine
Coordination: EUV/Anne Holper
Contributions: Thomas Eißler, Laura Gerards Iglesias, Else Keyers, Lars Kirchhoff, Tetiana Kyselova