An international research project that combines expertise from several universities, including Cranfield University, has received an Innovative Training Network grant of almost €4million as part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The project, “Global mobility of employees” (GLOMO), will see eight partners from across Europe build an ambitious and unique network of experts in the field of global labour mobility in a longer-term bid to tackle increasing labour and skills shortages in the EU. The participating partners are:

  • University of Bamberg (Germany)
  • Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
  • Cranfield University (United Kingdom)
  • Institute for Employment Research (Germany)
  • Toulouse Business School (France)
  • Universität Vaasa (Finland)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  • Airbus SAS (France)

Professor Michael Dickmann, Professor of International Human Resource Management at Cranfield University said: “We hope this project will highlight the benefits of diversifying our workforces internationally – both to employers and individuals themselves.

“We know that a diverse workforce has an impact on creativity and employee engagement. GLOMO should reinforce this to a new generation of HR professionals.”

Co-ordinating the project is Professor Dr Maike Andresen, Chair of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at the University of Bamberg. Speaking about the rationale for the project, Professor Andresen said: “There continue to be problems and obstacles hampering cross-border labour mobility, in spite of a favourable legal framework.

“This project aims to understand and promote labour mobility across Europe and to make it more efficient and beneficial for all parties involved.”

Fifteen PhD positions will be advertised to focus on the topics of migration and expatriation. The successful candidates will not only learn the theory of global mobility but will gain first-hand experience of it themselves, as all Early Stage Researchers will take secondments to one of the other partner universities and institutions during their three-year positions.

The project, which started on 1 January 2018 and runs for 48 months, will generate knowledge and provide training on the phenomenon of global labour mobility and suggest relevant implications for individuals, organisations and European societies and economies.


About Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.