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.

The primary goals of the project are to promote a more diverse cultural and working life, to identify and combat structural discrimination and racism, and ultimately to contribute to changing public narratives on migration and integration to focus on the ways in which Finland can become more inclusive and welcoming. To achieve these goals, Mobile Futures employs the Living Lab methodology. The Living Lab is a method of co-creation and a way to develop genuine collaboration between researchers and different stakeholders. 

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 four Work Packages (WPs), together producing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of trust. The WPs focus on law (WP2), information (WP3), labour market (WP4), and everyday encounters (WP5), 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.

The project is led by Magdalena Kmak, Professor of International Law at Åbo Akademi University (ÅA). The deputy director of the consortium and the leader of WP5 is Johanna Leinonen, Academy Research Fellow at the University of Oulu. The other work package leaders are Assistant Professor Daniela Alaattinoğlu (WP2, University of Turku), Professor Gunilla Widén (WP3, ÅA), and Research Director Marja Tiilikainen (WP4, Migration Institute of Finland, MIF). Saara Pellander, Director of MIF, acts as leader of interactions (WP6) and Yasmin Samaletdin (ÅA, MIF) as Project and Interaction Coordinator.

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. Mobile Futures is part of the SRC research program Demographic Changes – Causes, Consequences and Solutions (DEMOGRAPHY), 2021–2027.