Presentation of Initial Results from the Ongoing Pilot Project “Match’In”
In collaboration with federal states, municipalities, and representatives of refugees, a team from FAU and the University of Hildesheim, together with four federal states, has developed a mechanism to distribute asylum seekers from federal states to municipalities. Using an algorithm, the individual circumstances and needs of asylum seekers are matched more closely with the existing structures and resources of municipalities (“matching”). This aims to better address the needs of asylum seekers, maximize the potential of migration for municipal development, improve integration and participation, and reduce secondary migration. The project is funded by the Mercator Foundation.
During the 5th Conference of the Refugee Research Network, the project partners from academia and practice jointly presented their initial results from the pilot phase. After more than three years of collaboration—during which matching criteria were selected, an algorithm was programmed, and pilot processes were implemented in participating federal states—the stakeholders drew a preliminary positive conclusion:
The first data collected from the Match’In software and feedback from participants indicates that the conditions of arriving in municipalities indeed vary significantly in their suitability for individual asylum seekers (and vice versa). A data-driven distribution promises better alignment. A functioning process has been developed and can now be further refined.
Following the project partners’ presentation, State Secretary Bernd Krösser from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) commented on the project and discussed potential connections between the approach and the broader context of an increasingly digitalized migration administration.
A written publication of the results will be made available after the pilot phase concludes at the end of 2024.