The Berlin Institute for Comparative Social Research (BIVS) was founded in 1978 and specialises in research on issues concerning ethnicity and migration. For many years projects dealing with the socio-structural, economic and political conditions of Roma throughout Europe has been a main focus of research for BIVS. Its members are scientists from the field of sociology, politics, history, social anthropology and cultural studies who are working in interdisciplinary co-operation. The mediation of research results into social and political practice by means of European comparative research and policy-oriented activities represents the main objective of BIVS. Furthermore the activities of BIVS attempt to counter xenophobia and to find strategies for the integration of immigrants. In the area of European and international collaboration, BIVS is co-ordinating the European Research Forum on Migration and Ethnic Relations (EUROFOR), which focuses mainly on common conferences and publications. Committed to generating public awareness of social scientific knowledge, BIVS aims for a wide distribution of its research results and a close engagement in the public realm. The research results are widely distributed by publications printed through the in-house publishing department ‘Edition Parabolis’.