About the SFM

The Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM), a research and training institute at the University of Neuchâtel, was founded in 1995 with the aim of pragmatically contributing to discussions on topics related to migration. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, the institute has since developed into an independent national and international centre of competence and expertise in matters related to migration, mobility and citizenship. The SFM provides evidence-based responses to politically salient questions of inclusion and exclusion and engages in fundamental research at the national and international level. It has completed more than 300 studies, financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) or mandated by various institutions and organizations (federal, cantonal, communal, private or NGOs).

As part of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the institute offers a master’s degree with a unique specialization in Migration and Citizenship, as well as a bachelor’s specialization in Political Science. At the European level, it coordinates and participates in the double degree program European Master in Migration Studies (EuMIGS). It is also home to a thematic transdisciplinary documentation centre, which includes a multilingual collection of more than 11’000 documents and offers professional advice to researchers, students, journalists and the general public.

In its role as a “Forum” for critical, inclusive, and solution-oriented exchange within and outside academia, the SFM contributes to advancing interdisciplinary research in the spirit of the Social Sciences at the University of Neuchâtel, particularly through its affiliation with the Centre for the Understanding of Social Processes (MAPS). The SFM is actively involved in national and international research programmes and dialogues. For instance, it participated in the Berne Initiative, a consultation mechanism launched in 2001 by the Swiss government, that aimed to achieve better migration management through increased cooperation between states, culminating in the Global Compact for Migration.

The SFM represents Switzerland in various research networks. Since 2004, the institute has been the Swiss representative in the European research network IMISCOE, which coordinates the migration research of 69 world-class research institutions. Since 2014, the SFM director has also been acting as coordinator for the National Center of Competence in Research nccr – on the move, a network of research teams from eight Swiss universities dedicated to enhancing our understanding of contemporary phenomena related to migration and mobility in Switzerland and beyond.