Impact Hub

European University Viadrina EUV

Scientific Consortial Lead: Dr. Anne Holper
Scientific Project Management: Thomas Eißler
Geschäftsführung: Dr. Christian Hochmuth
Lead Focus Area Mediation: Prof. Dr. Lars Kirchhoff
Senior Researcher, Special Expertise Diplomay: Else Keyers
Senior Researcher, Special Expertise Societal Dialogue: Laura Gerards Iglesias
Research Assistants: Greta Herzig, Zoe Rentmeister 

Free University Berlin/SCRIPTS Cluster

Lead Focus Area Democracy and Resilience: Prof. Dr. Thomas Risse
Senior Researcher: Tannas Michel
Senior Researcher: Dr. Gözde Böcü

Institut for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University Hamburg IFSH

Lead Focus Area Security: Prof. Dr. Ursula Schröder
Senior Researcher: Dr. Anne Lange 
Senior Researcher: Dr. Jessica Noll
Research Assistants: Carlos Apel, Samuel Alves Gaspar da Silvam 

 

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 Guestions

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?

Contributions Viadrina

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.

 

Context Working Packages 

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

Ukraine
Coordination: EUV/Anne Holper
Contributions: Gözde Böcü, Thomas Eißler, Laura Gerards Iglesias, Else Keyers, Lars Kirchhoff, Tetiana Kyselova, Julia Langbein (ZOiS), Gwendolyn Sasse (ZOiS)

Middle East
Coordination: FU-SCRIPTS/Tannas Michel & Thomas Risse
Contributions: Gözde Böcü, Tannas Michel, Lars Kirchhoff, Jessica Noll, Thomas Risse

Western Africa
Coordination: IFSH/Anne Lange & Jessica Noll
Contributions: Anne Lange, Jessica Noll, Claudia Wiehler (HD), Zoe Rentmeister