On 29 April, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) established the Centre for Radicalisation Research and Prevention (Zentrum für Radikalisierungsforschung und Prävention, ZRP) as an independent institute on its campus in Essen. With a joint symposium that brought together leading researchers and experts from across Germany, the ZRP and the Evangelischer Erziehungsverband e.V. (EREV) kicked off the institute's work.
Scientific research must play an even greater role in the fight against anti-democratic and extremist movements. The ZRP sees itself as a practice-oriented, interdisciplinary institute in the field of social work with a unique profile in the research landscape. The ZRP's research aims to shed light on blind spots in the field of radicalisation and to develop reliable, evidence-based recommendations for action for politics, administration and individual professional fields. The aim is to actively incorporate the findings into prevention work in order to meet current challenges with new concepts.
Prof. Dr Burak Çopur, Head of the Institute:
"We deliberately chose the Ruhr region as the location for the Institute: The region stands for social diversity, urbanity and structural challenges like no other. With its excellent team of researchers, the institute is the first of its kind in North Rhine-Westphalia with a decidedly practical focus - and complements the existing research landscape in the field of radicalisation and prevention with an urgently needed, practice-oriented social work perspective."
As part of the founding of the institute, the ZRP organised a symposium at the Essen campus in cooperation with the Evangelischer Erziehungsverband e.V. (EREV). The ZRP team brought together renowned academics and practitioners on the topic of "Recognising the signs! Developments in right-wing populism after the 2025 federal elections - challenges in child and youth welfare". A varied programme awaited the guests and expert audience. The focus was on practice-oriented workshops on social media in radicalisation dynamics, recognising and dealing with right-wing extremist attitudes in families and victim protection, supplemented by space for discussion and networking.
The ZRP combines research, responsibility and social resilience
The newly established centre takes an interdisciplinary approach to its research, incorporating specialist perspectives from social work, political science, criminology and education, as well as methodological diversity. Using their specialist expertise and practical knowledge, ZRP researchers analyse the causes and dynamics of radicalisation processes - for example in the family environment, in schools, in the digital space or in civil society contexts. The work is intercultural and multilingual, both nationally and internationally, for example in cooperation with the University of Vienna. The focus is also on evaluating existing exit and advisory programmes. The aim is to broaden the research of radicalisation and provide concrete concepts for prevention, intervention strategies and political recommendations for action. Projects that have already been promised focus on topics such as anti-Semitism, religiously motivated extremism, ultra-nationalism and (de)radicalisation in the youth context.
Knowledge transfer is a central task: research findings flow directly back into practice in training courses, workshops, studies and seminar concepts. With the ZRP, IU is specifically positioning itself as a university that takes a stand - and assumes social responsibility in the areas of education and research.
For more information, visit the website of ZRP (in German)
