Since its foundation, the University of Deusto has made efforts to promote social justice and inclusion through its core areas of action: education, research and social engagement, which have been historically linked to important societal issues like human rights, migration, poverty, peace and conflict, development, cultural diversity, and humanitarian action.
Over the last three decades, the University has been able to consolidate its expertise in these areas and has played an important role in the establishment of local and international research networks around such topics. One example is the Thematic Network on Humanitarian Development Studies (HumanitarianNet), a network of excellence funded by the European Commission, ideated and chaired by UDEUSTO, and composed of more than a hundred European universities and research centres. On the same issue, the University chairs the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA), which runs the European Master on the issue, and is part of the Network of European Universities on Professionalisation of Humanitarian Action (EUPHRA). At doctoral level, the University coordinated a Marie Slodowska Curie Initial Training Network to train professionals in Sustainable Peace Building Research and Training (SPBUILD) which came to an end in 2013.
On the topic of migration, in 2004, the University launched IMISCOE (International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion) a network of 30 European universities and research centres specialized in the study of migration and social integration which was also funded and recognised as a network of excellence by the European Commission. As a result of its research efforts and in order to train the professionals needed to address the global challenge of migration, the University formulated a Joint European Master’s in International Migration and Social Cohesion (MISOCO) in 2010. Drawing from this program, UDEUSTO initiated INTEGRIM, an ongoing Marie Slodowska Curie Initial Training Network comprised of 8 European HEI, and 6 non-academic partners, which trains early stage researchers on the issues of integration and international migration; its pathways and policies.
The University, together with another 41 European universities, is also part of the European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation. This educational programme has provided remarkable opportunities for collaboration in research and training across countries, disciplines and world regions.
The issues of social justice and inclusion have also been addressed in the fields of Education, where research has been conducted on the role of education in promoting social inclusion and enhancing quality of life among vulnerable groups; Ethics, by addressing social development and transformation, peace and conflict from a perspective that puts dignity at the centre of human action; and Employment, and the social economy as tools for social inclusion and well-being.