ODI GLOBAL

Their core work

ODI Global (the Overseas Development Institute) is a London-based independent think tank specializing in international development policy, migration, and governance. They provide research-driven policy analysis on topics such as migration management, displacement, democracy, and political concepts across developing and emerging economies. Their work bridges academic research with practical policy recommendations, making them a valued contributor to large-scale EU research consortia studying global social and political challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ODI Global's earliest H2020 involvement (2015) focused on conflict and post-conflict populations through CHIBOW. By 2018, their participation shifted toward broader political and migration themes, joining both POLITICO (political concepts, democracy, nationalism) and MIGNEX (migration management, transnationalism, displacement). This trajectory shows a clear move from niche conflict studies toward large-scale policy research on migration and governance — topics with growing EU policy relevance.

ODI Global is deepening its focus on migration-development linkages and comparative political analysis, positioning them well for future EU calls on global migration governance and democratic resilience.

How they like to work

ODI Global operates exclusively as a partner or third party — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring to contribute specialist knowledge within larger consortia. Despite only 3 projects, they have worked with 54 unique partners across 26 countries, indicating they join broad, internationally diverse research networks. This pattern suggests they are sought after for their policy expertise and global south connections rather than for project management capacity.

Despite limited H2020 participation, ODI Global has built an exceptionally wide network of 54 partners across 26 countries — reflecting their role in large international consortia focused on global development and migration research spanning Europe, Africa, and Asia.

What sets them apart

ODI Global brings over 60 years of development policy expertise that few academic partners can match. Their strength lies in translating complex research into actionable policy recommendations, particularly on migration and governance topics with real-world implications across Europe, Africa, and Asia. For consortium builders, they offer credibility with policymakers and deep connections to developing-country research ecosystems that purely academic partners typically lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MIGNEX
  Their largest funded project (EUR 1.4M), running until 2024, addressing the high-profile policy question of how migration management and development goals can be aligned.
• POLITICO
  A comparative study of political concepts like democracy and nationalism across global contexts — unusual in its ambition to examine how these ideas function differently worldwide.