CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS, 2005-2006 



The Migration Research Program at Koç University (MiReKoc), which is a jointly 

initiated grant-giving program by Koç University (Istanbul) and the Foundation 

for Population, Migration, and Environment (Zurich), invites proposals for 

research on Turkey-related migration issues. MiReKoc, which is established in 

August 2004, pursues the following objectives:



- developing the research capacity to address migration issues in Turkey;



- generating new avenues of research and collaboration among researchers;



- integrating the migration studies in Turkey with those studies carried out 

in other local and global settings;



- connecting the migration debate in Turkey and in ‘near abroad’ such as 

neighboring areas in Europe, Asia, and Africa;



- contributing to the collaboration of migration scholars in the perspective 

of current and future research;



- initiating a dialogue between research and policy making.



Providing research opportunities on migration issues at the theoretical and 

empirical level, from different disciplinary angles, the Program promotes 

multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research practices. However, in 

either case originality is the main concern of evaluation. Whereas both 

quantitative and qualitative research are considered equally important, the 

Program encourages the use of the diversity of research methods such as survey 

research, ethnographic research, fieldwork, and archival research. The main 

disciplines, which contributes to the Program, are economics, sociology, 

anthropology, political science, international relations, history, law, 

demography, urban studies, geography, psychology, and education.



In the period of 2005-2006, MiReKoc opens two types of research grant 

competition:  (1) “Thematically-open” (T-O) Research Competition and 

(2) “Thematically-focused” (T-F) Research Competition. The T-O Research Grant 

Competition is open to any project on the Turkey-related migration issues that 

fits with MiReKoc’s general mandate of migration research[i]. It is within 

this context that the Program encourages research proposals on various newly 

emerging migration topics, as well as on other topics which are already better 

documented and researched but require some new inquire with clear 

justifications. As far as the T-F Research Grant Competition is concerned, the 

Program also encourages the submission of research proposals that particularly 

addresses the following three issues with a long-term perspective rather than 

short-term demands in the field of migration related research and policy 

making.   



Migration in the context of EU-Turkey relationship 

Research on the interlink between migration issues and the Turkey-EU accession 

debate such as the politics of migration policy and policy making, the newly 

emerging migration and asylum regimes, the linkage between sending and 

receiving settings through migration network and transnational ties; various 

economic, social, political and cultural consequences of migration for sending 

and receiving regions and for migrants themselves



Migration as a source of transformation in Turkey 

Research on the question of how and to what extend both internal and 

international migration in Turkey become a source of transformation



Migration, development, and labour market issues in Turkey 

Research on the issues of the relationship between migration and development, 

particularly focusing on the economics of migratory flows with a special 

emphasize on labour market, the issues of remittances and the development 

issues associated with the causes and consequences of population mobility in 

Turkey; 



Under the light of these purposes and concerns, the Program holds an annual 

competition for research grants. Turkish citizens who are residents of Turkey 

are eligible to apply for the grants. Temporary residence outside Turkey does 

not preclude eligibility. Research proposals may include non-Turkish 

researchers as co-investigators. The Program language is English.[ii] 

Researchers are asked to submit their proposals until October 21, 2005, using 

the MiReKoc Grant Application Form. Researchers who submit proposals may 

receive suggestions and advice from the MiReKoc Secretariat to improve and 

resubmit their proposals. After a blind-review process by the scholars in the 

field, the MiReKoc Scientific Advisory Committee will choose around 3-10 best 

complete research proposals in terms of scientific contribution, policy 

relevance, and feasibility. The individual research funds will be ranged from 

minimum USD 5 000 to USD 45 000. Researchers have to indicate the possibility 

of finding additional matching-funds from other institutions, including their 

own, for the project submitted. Additional funds outside the MiReKoc Program 

will be positive points in the final assessment by the MiReKoc Administration. 

The funded research projects will be announced in the late December, 2005. 



For further information, contact the MiReKoc office: MiReKoc, Dept. of 

International Relations, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Yolu 34450 Sarýyer 

Istanbul Turkey, tel: +90 212 338 1635, +90 338 1689, fax: +90 212 338 1642, 

e.mail: [log in to unmask] or consult our web site: 



http://home.ku.edu.tr/~mirekoc





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[i] The titles of  T-O research proposals funded by MiReKoc in the round of 2004-2005 are: Turkish Brain Drain to the USA; African Migrants in Istanbul: A Demographic and Cultural Survey; Integration in Limbo: Iraqi Afghan And Maghrebi Migrants in Istanbul; Culture And Migration: A Comparison Of Turkish Migrant And Non-Migrant Mothers' Long-Term Socialization Goals; A Study on Fourth Generation Turkish Speaking Orthodox Refugees: "Karamanlis"; Analyzing the Aspects of International Migration in Turkey by Using 2000 Census Results; The New International Migration and Migrant Women in Turkey: The Case of Moldovan Domestic Workers, World City Berlin and Spectacles of Identity: Public Events Immigrants and The Politics of Performance.  



[ii] Only in some exceptional cases where the researcher with very limited English proficiency may apply with a proposal written in Turkish and may write their research report in Turkish. However, the researcher should provide MiReKoc with a very detailed English summary of their research proposal and research report.   







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