UoG launches new research initiative to mark University Refugee Week

University of Gloucestershire is launching a collaborative research initiative focused on advancing knowledge and understanding of forced migration, as part of its activities to mark University Refugee Week 2026.

Starting on Monday, 2 March, University Refugee Week brings together higher education communities across the UK to recognise the contributions and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary, and to reflect on the role universities can play in fostering a culture of welcome, opportunity and belonging. 

University of Gloucestershire – a Supporting Organisation of the University of Sanctuary initiative – will launch the Voices for Rights and Refuge Research Network on Friday, 6 March to enable researchers to share insights and expertise, and enhance wider understanding.

The network, led by Dr Kristina Ilieva and Susie Olczak, will focus on how displacement and migration are understood, represented and experienced, and how ideas of ‘otherness’ – the process by which groups distinguish themselves from others whom they devalue – are produced, challenged and reshaped.

The University, which offers a number of sanctuary initiatives to students from a forced migration background, has carried out a number of studies around forced migration. This includes research into the experiences of women living in settlement communities in Uganda, international labour migration and food production in rural Europe, and the employment insecurity faced by migrants in low-wage and insecure work.

Led by a network of universities, including University of Gloucestershire, University Refugee Week invites students, staff and community partners to deepen understanding of forced displacement, learn from lived experience, and explore how universities can offer meaningful support. 

As well as the launch of the research network, activities taking place at the University will include an informal discussion-based event exploring some of the issues surrounding forced migration, and displays of books and other resources by refugees and displaced authors and about the lived experiences of forced migrants.

Network co-lead Susie Olczak, Lecturer in Fine Art, said: “We’re pleased to be launching our Voices for Rights and Refuge Research Network as we mark University Refugee Week 2026.

“By forming this research group, we are creating a space for researchers to meet from a wide range of disciplines to discuss pertinent issues of our times to share knowledge and to create space for future projects to emerge.”

Network co-lead Dr Kristina Ilieva, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, said: “University of Gloucestershire is committed to creating a culture of welcome and promoting understanding of forced migration through education, research and outreach.

“By fostering shared expertise, this new network enables researchers to enhance a wider understanding of the experiences of millions of people forced to flee their homelands every year due to safety threats, conflict, and environmental disasters.

“We invite interested colleagues from across disciplines and PhD students to join the research group and develop the field through discussions and collaborative research.”

Main picture: The University’s Park Campus in Cheltenham