The HumMingBird project, an ambitious European research initiative uniting 16 partners across 10 countries, recently concluded with significant contributions from CESSDA partners.

HumMingBird aimed to improve the mapping and understanding of changing migration flows while exploring innovative forecasting methods and addressing gaps in migration research. The project set out to create innovative approaches to migration studies, and CESSDA partners played a critical role in data management and ensuring robust data sharing and protection, contributing to key advancements.

The CESSDA team consisted of CESSDA Main Office, So.Da.Net / EKKE (Greece) and IEN (Serbia) as Linked Third Parties. The team focused on

• Identifying migration data systems and aligning definitions

• Exploring the links between migration policies and dynamics

• Addressing ethical issues related to migration research

• Εnhancing CESSDA Data Catalogue with migration’s datasets of the project 

The HumMingBird 8th Consortium Meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium on April 27th 2024.

Addressing Gaps in Migration Research

In 2020, the project conducted a review of migration theories and a longitudinal evaluation of international migration flows. They assessed the quality and availability of migration data, identifying critical gaps. These findings were discussed in an expert workshop that addressed the disconnect between migration theories and existing data systems, paving the way for more informed research and policymaking.

Listening to Migrants’ Voices

IEN led expert interviews with stakeholders and interest groups in Serbia, a strategic transit hub on the Balkan migration route. The fieldwork highlighted key challenges migrants face, including:

• Fear and lack of trust: Migrants are often hesitant to share their experiences due to precarious circumstances.

• Misinformation and exploitation: Migrants rely on unreliable sources, such as smugglers, leading to unpreparedness for the realities they encounter.

• Vulnerability and pushbacks: Migrants, especially women and other vulnerable groups, face violence and lack access to legal or medical support.

The findings emphasize the need for a structured migrant management system and improved access to credible information.

Contributing to the Migration Knowledge Base

Based on the fieldwork, the team produced a comprehensive report,“Field reports on migrants en route: Field reports on Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Bihac, Belgrade, and Calais”, examining six key migration hubs. IEN contributed with a field report on the situation of migrants and refugees in Serbia. 

Additionally, EKKE co-organized a two-day workshop in Athens in November 2023, “Voices in Transit: Human Stories from Migration Routes to Europe.” Held in collaboration with the HumMingBird project and the Hellenic Sociological Society, the workshop featured diverse narratives and motivations of migrants on their journeys to Europe, with over 70 scholars participating worldwide.

Thematic Migration Data Catalogue

A crucial task for the team was improving the Migration Data Catalogue which will feed into the CESSDA Data Catalogue.

In 2022, the CESSDA team, D. Kondyli, R. Dekker and I. Ilijasic Versic, contributed  a chapter titled “CESSDA Data Catalogue: opportunities and challenges to explore mobility and migration” in the collective volume Data Science for Migration and Mobility, edited by Albert Ali Salah, Emre Eren Korkmaz, Tuba Bircan and published by Oxford University Press. The book’s content included a multifaceted research domain combining sociology, policy, computational social science, statistics, and behavioural sciences. It provides a multi-faceted perspective into data science for migration and mobility while helping migration scholars and students to understand the potential of new data sources with many case studies, and provides entry points for the available tools in the field.

A publication (Deliverable D47) titled “Updated thematic migration data catalogue” authored by EKKE team members D. Kondyli and N. Klironomos resulted in the creation of the first thematic data catalogue for CESSDA. The catalogue, stored in the So.Da.Net Repository is accessible at https://datacatalogue.sodanet.gr/dataverse/migration. It includes data and indicators that have been produced and constructed in compliance with ethics requirements.

Looking Ahead

The HumMingBird project has provided CESSDA with invaluable experience in managing complex data workflows and addressing sensitive research topics. CESSDA remains committed to promoting excellence in social sciences data infrastructure and supporting European research with impactful resources.

As CESSDA celebrates HumMingBird’s accomplishments, we look forward to future opportunities for innovation and collaboration. HumMingBird stands as a model project, demonstrating how cross-border partnerships can unite thematic research communities and highlight the crucial role of research infrastructures in tackling society’s biggest challenges.
 

For more details on the HumMingBird project, visit The HumMingBird project website: https://hummingbird-h2020.eu/