Project Steering Group
In order to meet the requirements of the project as regards content as well as geographical aspects a project steering group of regional research partners and international organisations in the fields of migration and health service has been established. To realise the objectives of the project, a cooperation of scientific institutes on the one hand with worldwide acting international organisations, which are actually involved in health service on the other hand is crucial. While the latter provide the capacities that are needed for sound empirical research, the internationally acting organisations with long standing expertise in migration and health topics will provide valid information and the global links needed for the complexity of the project.
WIAD, the lead partner and main contractor with the EU, is responsible for the overall management of the project and the coordination of all activities. The project steering group further consists of six research partners, three in Europe, the other three from Africa, Asia and North America respectively.
The research steering group is responsible for all research activities. It consists of the six research partners together with the International Hospital Federation (IHF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The research partners' main task will be to conduct macro and micro research in their own countries as well as to manage research in certain other countries of their region.
With research partners in Germany, Poland and Bulgaria three types of EU Member States are represented. Germany is one of the oldest, Western Member States, quite wealthy and mainly a destination country. Poland stands for the new members from Middle Europe, economically between the Western countries and the less developed countries in East Europe and therefore sending workforce to Western Europe as well as receiving workforce from its Eastern neighbours. Bulgaria is one of the latest Member States from Eastern Europe, at the end of the economic scale within the European Union and therefore a mainly workforce sending country.
The three research partners from outside Europe are source as well as destination countries whose migration affects EU Member States. The chosen partners represent with (South/ South East) Asia, Africa and North America important geographical regions. The Philippines can be considered as still developing country whose economy is strongly affected by migration processes. Because of its role as the worldwide most important source country of nurses in particular it is the ideal example of the female dominated migration processes of health professionals. South Africa ranges as an emerging country economically on a medium level and hence shows features of a sending as well as a receiving country as regards health workers - including migration to or from Europe. The United States, finally, as an economically high developed country are mainly one of the preferred destination countries for health professionals emigrating out of the European Union.
The six international organisations are members of a project advisory committee of the project, which overtakes various functions, e.g. in advising on project activities. The international organisations further act as multipliers, provide the necessary information and the necessary links to target groups and therefore play an important role in the dissemination of the project outcomes.
The research steering group and the project advisory committee, closely working together throughout the whole duration of the project, form the project steering group. The project steering group provides a structure to organise feedback loops in order to control, assess and lead the research process and the project as a whole at its different steps.