Diverschance_East – Global competence development and diversity challenges in an innovative Europe

The project "Diverschance_East" is a joint research project with participants from Germany (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences) and Ukraine (National I. I. Metschnikov University Odessa). The cooperation focuses on the topics of attitudes towards migration, conditions for successful integration and diversity competence.

The aim is to meet the current challenges of the European economy and society and to demonstrate innovative approaches to practical solutions. To this end, the bilateral cooperation of the partners involved is to be deepened and cross-sectoral contacts expanded in order to advance joint research and knowledge transfer.

For the funding of this project, an application was submitted within the framework of the funding program Integration of the Eastern Partnership Countries into the European Research Area - Bridge2ERA EaP of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The project emerged from the current political, economic, and social developments regarding cooperation between Eastern and Western Europe. One of the biggest ongoing challenges for Eastern and Western European cultures is dealing with migration. The project addresses the need for diversity and intercultural competence and applies them to relevant problem areas through additional research. To reduce the belief that diversity is a threat and a source of problems  it is important to promote a change of attitudes and relevant diversity competence.

Stakeholders from the business community and university graduates will be involved in the project to ensure practical relevance and transfer of the findings, respectively. In this way, the basis for a positive European diversity culture is created and potentials arising from diversity (e.g., difference, change of perspective and creativity) are implemented as a solution to the ongoing global challenge of migration.

Within the first twelve months of the project, a H2020 call suitable for a subsequent research project will be identified, ideas for further implementation will be elaborated in a workshop, and a research proposal will be submitted. In the course of this, the stabilization and expansion of the research network will also be driven forward. On the one hand, the aim and focus is to conduct comparative and intercultural research to identify Eastern European influences on a common European cultural space and attitudes towards migration. Measures will be developed that contribute to the formation of a common European identity by promoting diversity and interculturality. On the other hand, activities will be developed and evaluated on how the use and promotion of diversity and intercultural competence can lead to social and economic development in Eastern and Western Europe.

Prof. Dr. Genkova is Professor of Business Psychology (W2) at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, where she holds seminars and lectures on topics including diversity and intercultural business psychology.

In addition to her teaching activities, Prof. Dr. Genkova has been working on or leading research projects for almost thirty years. Her main focus is on in-depth research on intercultural competence and communication as well as on the topic of diversity.

More information about the publications and research projects of Prof. Dr. Petia Genkova.

Dr. Smokova is an associate professor at the Faculty of Social Assistance and Practical Psychology of Odessa National I.I. Mechnikov University.

Cooperation experience and goal of the cooperation

Both project partners bring their expertise in the fields of intercultural psychology, diversity competence, migration and integration to the project. The participants have known each other since 2006 and have already worked together successfully in several projects, such as the Cult Open project, the research project Eastern Partnerships - Intercultural Competencies and the research project Social Identity among Persons with a Migration Background.

On the one hand, bilateral cooperation between Germany and Ukraine should make it possible to support local science systems in Ukraine. On the other hand, international cooperation offers the potential to face recognized global challenges in an evidence-based way.