Diversity, Trust, and Two-Way Integration (Mobile Futures) is an interdisciplinary, action-oriented research project that strives to promote a fair and inclusive society through focusing on integration as a trust-based, two-way process. The guiding principle is that a fair and inclusive society is more resilient when facing the challenges of demographic changes.

Mobile Futures highlights the importance of social and institutional trust in developing good demographic relations. The main theoretical framework of the project is drawn from critical integration research that challenges existing integration models portraying society as neutral and integration as a responsibility – and often a problem – of migrants alone.

The research is divided into five Work Packages (WPs), together producing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of trust. The WPs focus on law (WP2), information (WP3), labour market (WP4), everyday encounters (WP5), and futures (WP7), which we consider to be crucial for increasing social and institutional trust in society, and, ultimately, for improving societal preparedness for the challenges brought by demographic changes.

Diversity, Trust, and Two-Way Integration (Mobile Futures) is a six-year research project, funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland. The consortium is coordinated by Åbo Akademi University, together with Oulu University, The Migration Institute of Finland, University of Turku and the Deaconess Foundation. Mobile Futures is part of the SRC research program Demographic Changes – Causes, Consequences and Solutions (DEMOGRAPHY), 2021–2027. Grant number of the latest funding decision: 364420.