LERRN is the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network. We are a team of researchers and practitioners committed to advancing protection and solutions with and for refugees. Our Partnership Secretariat is based at Carleton University, and our programs are developed and implemented by 16 working groups, 80 partners in 18 countries around the world. The overall direction and implementation of the partnership are led by Dr. James Milner, Professor at Carleton University and Project Director, and Rez Gardi, Co-Director of LERRN, international human rights lawyer, and Co-Managing Director of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT).
In May 2025, the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) has been awarded a C$2.5 million Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), along with additional C$2.5 million in contributions from our partner organizations to lead a transformative work on “Reimagining Responses to Forced Migration.”
The goal of the partnership is for the knowledge and expertise of those most affected by displacement to shape forced migration studies, policy and practice, contributing to a global forced migration response system that is more effective, legitimate and accountable for and to those most affected by displacement.
The project aims to mobilize a global partnership that embraces a wide range of perspectives, generates new forms of knowledge and unites diverse actors in designing and promoting transformative, yet practical responses to forced migration.
The project officially launched in September 2025, following a successful implementation of the previous seven-year SSHRC funded partnership grant (LERRN 1.0 : 2018-2025). The new project is expected to run until March 2031.
