The procurement shall result in a research project that studies the importance of public interventions such as an introduction programme and various NAV initiatives for refugees and those reunited with their families' employment and use of welfare benefits after a long period of residence.

A complete description of the delivery is in Annex 1 of the contract (the Research Contract Annex 1).

The qualification and employment of refugees is recognised as one of the largest integration challenges. Research shows a tendency of falling employment and increased receipt of social security for individual groups of refugees and those reunited with their families after 5-10 years of residence in Norway. This research has mainly been based on analyses of cohorts of refugees were granted residency before the implementation of the introduction scheme in 2004. In addition the research did not include variables for the receipt of various public qualification services, such as NAV initiatives.

There is now a need and possibility to document to what extent previous participants in the introduction programme and initiatives from NAV experience the same challenges in maintaining a lasting connection to working life.

The research assignment shall result in an analysis of the importance of lengthy residency and public interventions such as the introduction programme and various NAV initiatives, for refugees and those reunited with their families' employment and use of welfare benefits. The analysis must include other variables that literature has found relevant for studying these conditions, including period of residence, education, age, gender and other qualities.

A complete description of the delivery is in Annex 1 of the contract (the Research Contract Annex 1).