Scientific mission in Iceland focusing on Romanian migration trends

Prof. Monica Roman from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, implemented her Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM), funded by COST Action COREnet, at the University of Iceland.

The main topic of the STSM was Eastern Europeans’ migration. The objectives of the STSM included sharing the results of the COREnet Working Group 3 activities and related research on Eastern European migration, with a focus on recent Romanian migration trends, with students at the University of Iceland. Networking with the local interdisciplinary researchers and exchanging research ideas was also among the STSM’s goals.

The host of this STSM was Ms Goda Cicenaite, a scholar and migration researcher at the University of Iceland, whose research mostly focuses on Lithuanian migration to Iceland. As leader of WG3 of the COREnet COST Action, Ms Cicėnaitė is actively involved in various interdisciplinary activities, including data collection, surveys, online webinars, and the master’s thesis competition. She mediated and actively supported the networking activities during this scientific mission.

Prof. Roman and Ms Cicėnaitė discussed the importance of incorporating religious aspects into research in the field of migration. They explored opportunities for future collaboration as well as innovative research methods in migration research and its intersectionality with the economics of religion.

Moreover, during the visit, a lecture titled “Economic dimensions of Romanian emigration” was delivered, providing an opportunity to engage in discussions with faculty and students. The students, coming from various countries including China, Poland and Armenia, engaged enthusiastically in the debate on barriers and factors influencing economic migration. They shared personal experiences and highlighted differences in migration contexts, as well as the role of migration policies in different countries.

Finally, Prof. Roman also met with Romanian labour migrants in Reykjavík, learning about the barriers and difficulties they faced in the new labour market, as well as the strategies they employed to adapt to a new economic and geographic environment.

Prof. Roman, during her mission, gained insights into the Icelandic migration landscape and its research environment, while offering a comparative perspective with Romania.

What is a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within COREnet?

A Short-Term Scientific Mission, funded by the COST Action COREnet, consists of a visit to a host organization located in a different country to the country of affiliation of a Researcher in order to carry out specific work as part of a research project. In addition to research purposes, Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) are aimed to support researchers’ individual mobility, to strengthen existing networks and to foster collaboration between individuals. The purpose of a STSM is thus to gain new partnerships, to learn new techniques and to gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions/organizations.