The Spanish Institute of Migration Analysis (IEAM) has been selected as the winner of the FOESSA Foundation’s 2025 Research Project Competition with its project “Bridges and Walls: Pathways to the Inclusion of Migrants in Spain.” The jury highlighted the project’s ability to provide a rigorous perspective closely connected to social realities on one of today’s major challenges in Spain: the social inclusion of migrants.
A clear starting point: inclusion is not automatic
The project is based on a central idea aligned with the FOESSA approach: inclusion is not a state that is reached automatically, but a dynamic process with advances, blockages, and setbacks. From this perspective, the research examines how administrative status, access to employment, and social relationships interact in the life trajectories of migrants, and which factors facilitate or hinder their full participation in society.
Methodology: qualitative, participatory, and territorial approach
To capture this dynamic accurately, the study will combine a qualitative and participatory methodology, based on:
This design allows for the reconstruction of concrete inclusion pathways, understanding where “fractures” in the process occur, and how existing policies and practices translate into real-life experiences.
Objective: actionable knowledge and operational proposals
Under the direction of Beatriz de León Cobo, the IEAM team seeks to identify which elements are not working in inclusion processes – such as administrative barriers, employment difficulties, or the absence of social networks – and to turn this diagnosis into actionable solutions for public administrations and social organizations.
Next steps
In the coming months, IEAM will begin fieldwork and the organization of workshops, with a commitment to produce actionable results that are valuable for public and social action. We are grateful to the FOESSA Foundation for their trust and for the opportunity to contribute to a deeper and more realistic understanding of migrants’ inclusion pathways in Spain.
