The UniGR-Center for Border Studies (UniGR-CBS) is an Interdisciplinary Center of Expertise of the University of the Greater Region (UniGR). It brings together researchers from different disciplines and partner universities specialized in borders and border regions, including cultural and linguistic approaches, spatial planning, labour and education, regional development and cross-border cooperation.

Since 2014, the UniGR-CBS has provided a platform for interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation in Border Studies. Rooted in the Greater Region and connected to international research networks, it examines borders and border regions in Europe and beyond and links academic research with questions of practical relevance.

The UniGR-CBS is active in four main areas:

• Research: The UniGR-CBS border researchers examine socio-economic and socio-cultural issues from a cross-border and comparative perspective. They are organized in interregional working groups along thematic focuses and develop solutions for challenges in border regions as well as contributions to fundamental border research.
• Teaching: The UniGR-CBS border researchers cooperate in teaching and doctoral training. In addition to joint doctoral supervision in the field of border research, they have been offering the trinational “UniGR Master in Border Studies” since 2017. This cross-border study programme organised at four UniGR universities provides students with a European profile.
• Networking and international cooperation: The UniGR-CBS border researchers collaborate in the Greater Region and with international partners. The implementation of joint research and networking projects strengthens cooperation and increases the visibility of the UniGR-CBS internationally. In addition to research stays and seminars, this includes involvement in international networks of cross-border actors and border researchers.
• Science-Policy Interface: With regional actors, border researchers identify socio-economic and socio-cultural challenges of the Greater Region and develop practice-oriented solutions. They actively shape the spatial development of the Greater Region and organise events for the exchange and transfer of knowledge between politics, administration and science.

The University of the Greater Region (UniGR) as the host institution of the UniGR-CBS is committed to developing “border-free” training and research by improving and facilitating mobility for students, PhD students, lecturers and researchers from its partner universities; by supporting cross-border cooperation through the development of networks and expertise; and by promoting the visibility of cross-border initiatives in universities.

Training

• Trilingual Master in Border Studies (MABS) at four universities (Lorraine, Saarland, Luxembourg, Kaiserslautern) in three countries with two specializations: 1) culture & language, 2) geography & spatial planning
• Workshops on planning cultures and cross-border spatial planning with the aim to initiate cross-border learning
• Teaching units:
  • MOOC “Spatial Analysis beyond borders” (in French, German subtitles) with practical exercises
  • MOOC Overview Border Studies
  • Film modules on Industrial History in the Greater Region

Research / Applied Research

The UniGR-CBS conducts research along five thematic focuses:

• Employment – Education – Economy

Cultural, economic and demographic diversity not only pose challenges, but also offer enormous potential for developing cross-border regions. This focus examines the conditions and implementations of cross-border training and their effects on cross-border employment and economic activity.

• Governance – Power– Cooperation

This focus deals with issues geared towards governance processes and inequality ratios: governance processes in institutional cross-border cooperation, processes of self-governance in everyday life and a power-critical perspective as general research perspective in the analysis of bordering processes.

• Regional Development – Sustainability

This focus deals with decisive challenges such as climate change, ecological issues, economic development or social cohesion in border regions. A special interest lies in the question how the spatial planners deal with such challenges, in particular within the scope of a sustainable approach.

• Language – Culture – Identity

This focus deals with issues which grapple with the social negotiation of borders and differences in everyday life. The subjects of research are cultural phenomena, which focus on interstices and spawn new identities as well as cultural and linguistic forms of practice as hybridizations.

• Theories – Concepts – Terms

Border studies have been an aspirational field of research in social sciences and cultural studies. This focus identifies conceptual blind spots, develops own theorizations and new analytical tools on the basis of the UniGR-CBS research results achieved.

Consulting / Studies

• LATI project
• UniGR-CBS Policy Paper series
• UniGR-CBS Greater Region Forum
• Planning cultures in the Greater Region

Conferences

• “40 Years of Schengen: People, Borders, Politics” (2025), organised by the UniGR-CBS and EMN Luxembourg, addressing free movement, internal border controls and the future of Schengen. The conference also resulted in a UniGR-CBS Working Paper.
• The UniGR-CBS at the 2023 World Conference on Border Studies. Border scholars discussed new research findings from nearly all regions of the world, including North America, Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. This includes 9 UniGR-CBS scholars, who participated in the conference program through 4 panels, 1 roundtable discussion and 6 talks. → Video
• Co-organization of the Cross-Border School of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) on cross-border regions in COVID times, cross-border spatial planning, cross-border labor market and cross-border culture (2020).
• Conference “Borders as Border Complexities” (2019)
• 2nd World Conference of the Association for Borderlands Studies Border Studies (2018) – As a partner, the UniGR-CBS organised seven panels in cultural and social Border Studies research focusing on migration, cross-border mobility, the labour market, regional development in cross-border regions, and on different case studies in Southwestern Europe
• International Conference “Cross-border workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg: Employment – Everyday Life – Perceptions” (2017)
• Europe Conference of the Association for Borderlands Studies (2016)

Publications / Conference papers

• UniGR-CBS Publications: Borders in Perspective thematic issues, Working Papers and Policy Papers. The series address academic audiences as well as actors from politics and public administration.
• Clément, Franz / Belkacem, Rachid / Pigeron-Piroth, Isabelle / Wille, Christian (eds.) (2023): Cross-border Work in Europe. Regional Practices and Realities | Le travail frontalier en Europe. Pratiques et réalités régionales. Brussels: Larcier. The volume brings together socioeconomic, sociocultural, territorial and legal perspectives and includes several UniGR-CBS members. https://www.larcier-intersentia.com/fr/travail-frontalier-europe-cross-border-work-europe-9782879988719.html
• ON AIR – The UniGR Centre for Border Studies podcast. The ON AIR podcast is UniGR-CBS’s latest initiative to foster international dialogue in the academic community. It showcases border research in the Greater Region and beyond.
• Hamez, Grégory / Defays, Jean-Marc (Hg.) (2020): Réalités, perceptions et représentations des frontières. L’espace transfrontalier de la Grande Région Sarre-Lor-Lux. Louvain-la-Neuve, EME Éditions. https://www.editions-harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=66817
• Weber, Florian / Wille, Christian / Caesar, Beate / Hollstegge, Julian (Hg.) (2020): Geographien der Grenzen. Räume – Ordnungen – Verflechtungen (Reihe: Räume – Grenzen – Hybriditäten). Wiesbaden, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-30950-3.https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783658309497
• Wille, Christian / Nienaber, Birte (Hg.) (2020): Border Experiences in Europe. Everyday Life – Working Life – Communication – Languages. (Border Studies. Cultures, Spaces, Orders, Bd. 1), Baden-Baden, Nomos. https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/9783845295671/border-experiences-in-europe (Open Access)
• Karina Pallagst / Andrea Hartz / Beate Caesar (Eds.) (2018): Border Futures – Zukunft Grenze – Avenir Frontière. Zukunftsfähigkeit grenzüberschreitender Zusammenarbeit. Arbeitsberichte der ARL 20. https://shop.arl-net.de/border-futures-zukunft-grenze-avenir-frontiere.html (Open Access)

Other

• UniGR-CBS Fellowship – international two-month research stays at the six UniGR-CBS partner universities.
• Interdisciplinary online lecture series: Border Realities.
• UniGR-CBS BorderObs – BorderObs is a place for the publication of observations and scientific comments on current societal developments.
• Literary Prize „Frontières – Léonora Miano“ (Université de Lorraine in cooperation with the UniGR).
• Border Gallery with pictures of borders