We match refugees and welcoming cities directly and precisely.

Re:Match takes into account the individual profiles and preferences of those seeking protection and matches them with cities’ capacities and infrastructure conditions. 

Our core idea – Innovative approaches to solidarity

Re:Match is an innovative matching project that rethinks solidarity in the EU and the distribution of people seeking protection in a new and participatory way – because we believe that the participation of cities and protection seekers is the key to equitable and effective migration management.
In contrast to conventional processes, Re:Match takes the individual profiles and preferences of people seeking protection into account and matches them with the infrastructural conditions and capacities of cities. The needs of local labour markets are also considered.
Matching is carried out using a preference-based algorithm to bring both sides together in the best possible way. Through this approach, Re:Match provides protection seekers and cities with opportunities for participation and thus fosters their agency in the relocation process, ultimately paving the way for successful integration.
With its pilot phase 2023, Re:Match already provided proof of feasibility and showed how sustainable paths for solidarity in Germany and with other EU member states can be created in close cooperation with welcoming cities. A second matching and relocation phase was implemented in the summer of 2024 and enabled us to further develop the Re:Match processes and strengthen the results obtained to date.
All data is being comprehensively evaluated and the results are published in our reports and guides. The findings are also being used to further develop the matching criteria, the questionnaires, the algorithm and the associated processes. The team is happy to answer your questions at any time and looks forward to any exchange on the subject of matching!

How it works:

1. Participating cities and protection seekers provide information on their individual and current capacities, capabilities and needs.

2. Our algorithm creates best-possible matches between the cities and protection seekers, taking individual preferences into account.

3. Needs-based relocation and reception enable better planning and future prospects for both refugees and cities alike.

You’re a Ukrainian citizen who recently fled from Ukraine to Poland or is currently planning to leave Ukraine and would consider moving to Germany?

We help you find a city in Germany!

You are a German city interested in working towards a more plannable, efficient and equitable distribution and reception process for protection seekers? You would like to take part of Re:Match and welcome refugees from Ukraine?

Become a partner city in our project!

What we’ve achieved

Re:Match looks back on a fascinating and fruitful pilot phase – because this project by the Berlin Governance Platform has achieved something truly unique so far!

Together with our partners Pairity (Canada), Salam Lab and Right to Protection (Poland), we were able to match 137 Ukrainian protection seekers with eight German municipalities using our self-developed algorithm-based mechanism and to support them in their relocation from Poland to Germany. In this matching, the individual needs and profiles of the protection seekers and the municipalities were taken into account in order to strengthen their right to have a say and facilitate the reception and integration process from day one.

With the pilot phase, Re:Match has demonstrated how such an approach can, for example, achieve efficient allocation of personnel resources or more precisely tailored accommodation. By strengthening participation, the project fosters a sense of commitment and readiness while ensuring a suitable fit for protection seekers and cities alike. Surveys with protection seekers and local authorities which participated in the 2023 relocation phase clearly support the assumption that co-determinationand matching-based distribution pave the way for successful integration – learn more about our findings in our reports!

23x single mothers with child(ren) 10x more than two adults 9x single persons 4x single mothers with child(ren) and grandmother 9x mobility restrictions 6x couples with child(ren)

Milestones

  • October 2022: Re:Match celebrates the new partnership agreement with the Polish NGO Salam Lab – because local cooperation is the key to success! With this step, Re:Match also welcomes a Ukrainian project coordinator, deployed at Salam Lab, as new team member.
  • November 2022: A Focus group with Ukrainian protection seekers in Germany is conducted – to inform the match criteria and process. This co-design approach marks the start of the project implementation.
  • January 2023: Multiple German cities come together for a workshop in Kassel, where they share their municipal perspectives on the match criteria and relocation/reception process.
  • January-March 2023: Together with Re:Match’s tech-partner Pairity from Canada, the team takes a deep dive into the in-depth formulation of the algorithm’s mechanism. The declared aim: to develop an individualised algorithm for the matching process which is as just and effective as possible. These processes are continuously monitored and adjusted throughout the entire pilot phase.
  • February-May 2023: Six German cities sign cooperation agreements and officially become implementation partners for the first Re:Match pilot phase.
  • February 2023: The exciting first outreach to interested displaced Ukrainians starts with an in-person information session in Krakow. There, the 100 participants gain detailed project insights and answers to their questions. Throughout the next months, the project team hosts multiple online and hybrid interactive information sessions.
  • March-September 2023 (1): Three cohorts of people seeking protection enter the Re:Match pilot matching and relocation phase. During these months, the individual preferences and needs of the protection seekers are assessed in personal interviews. The capacities and needs of the cities are recorded using an online questionnaire.
  • March-September 2023 (2): Taking into account all relevant data, Re:Match matches Ukrainian protection seekers with the six German partner cities, utilizing its bespoke preference-based algorithm. Finally, 78 persons accept their match and are supported by the Re:Match team in their relocation to Germany.
  • September 2023 – today: To evaluate the project and to create evidence of the Re:Match success, the relocated persons are surveyed and interviewed about their experiences with the matching and relocation process as well as about their arrival and the first integration steps in the welcoming cities. This evaluation is repeated at increments of one, three, six/nine and twelve months after relocation.
  • October 2023: Re:Match aims to develop innovative processes that benefit those seeking protection and the cities that welcome them. Thus, Re:Match invited participating cities to a workshop in Berlin to discuss experiences with, potentials of and next steps for the project.
  • January - February 2024: Time to go public! Re:Match publishes the initial evaluation results as well as the policy findings and recommendations in the form of two reports, which are now available for download. Together with the city of Düsseldorf and Pairity, the reports are presented and discussed in a digital report launch event.
  • Summer 2024: On the way to a progressive and effective relocation scheme in the EU – or anywhere else! – Re:Match puts the greatest effort into the further development of its matching tool. This involves a new phase of matching and relocation in which the advanced algorithm and processes are applied, and new data and evidence is gathered!

Publications

Follow-Up Evaluation Report: 12-Month Results

Twelve Month
Results

Based on interviews with pilot phase participants, the follow-up evaluation presents exciting and promising results and findings on the participants’ first integration steps 12 months after their arrival in the municipalities.

Follow-Up Evaluation Report: 6-Month Results

Six Months
Results

Berlin Governance Platform Pairity Re:Match - Relocation via Matching From Arrival to Belonging: Six Months Results Pilot Project Evaluation September 2024

Based on interviews with pilot phase participants, the follow-up evaluation presents exciting and promising results and findings on the participants’ first integration steps 6 months after their arrival in the municipalities.

 

Interim Evaluation Report: First Results

Interim evaluation report

Cover photo for the Interim Evaluation report of the BGP Pilot Project Re:Match - Relocation via Matching

Based on the evaluation of the first relocation phase, the interim evaluation of Re:Match presents exciting project data and results and explains the underlying processes and technical features.

Implementation Guide

Implementation Guide

Berlin Governance Platform Pairity Re:Match - Data-Driven Matching of Refugees and Cities An Implementation Guide

Based on the two-year pilot phase, this guide presents valuable experiences and recommendations for data-driven distribution and reception of refugees into cities, highlights application possibilities and potential, and outlines the key steps of the matching process.

Recommendations report

Recommendations report

Cover photo for the Insights & recommendations report of the BGP project Re:Match - Relocation via Matching

Based on the learnings of the first project phase, this report formulates promising findings and recommendations for decision-makers from politics, cities, and civil society.