Our goal
Refugees.AI takes the hopes, aspirations and goals of refugees seriously.
We believe refugee resettlement works best when we take into account the outcomes and preferences of refugees as well as the priorities and capacities of communities that host them.
We are using tools from machine learning, integer optimization, and matching theory to find the best matches between refugees and local communities.
An official report by the Swedish Government and the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in the UK have recommended improving the geographic matching of refugees.
Introducing Annie™ MOORE
Annie™ MOORE (Matching and Outcome Optimization for Refugee Empowerment) is the world's first software that helps resettlement agencies optimize their initial placement of refugees within host countries. It is named in honor of Annie Moore, the first person to be processed at Ellis Island in 1892.
Read about how Annie™ has been helping a US resettlement agency since May 2018 here.
Annie™ MOORE: Improving refugee resettlement
Media coverage
If you have a media enquiry, please contact:
US: Alison Duffy (amduffy@wpi.edu)
UK: Lanisha Butterfield (lanisha.butterfield@admin.ox.ac.uk)
Sweden: Louise Larsson (louise.larsson@ehl.lu.se)
By the Numbers
68.5 million
Forcibly displaced people in 2018
19.9 million
Refugees under UNHCR mandate in 2018
1.19 million
Refugees were in need of resettlement in 2017
75,188
Refugees submitted for resettlement in 2017
65,109
Refugees, who fled from 70 countries, departed for resettlement in 30 countries in 2017
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despite increases in departures, the total annual number of resettlement country places...were not fully utilized.
UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Trends, 2015, p.28
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Resources
Selected Articles and Blogs
Selected Academic Work
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Andersson, T., Ehlers, L., and A. Martinello (2018), "Dynamic Refugee Matching", Working paper.
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van Basshuysen, P. (2017), "Towards a fair distribution mechanism for asylum", Games.
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Delacretaz, D., Kominers, S. D., and A. Teytelboym (2016), “Refugee Resettlement”, Working paper
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Moraga, J. F.-H. and H. Rapoport (2014), “Tradable Immigration Quotas”, Journal of Public Economics.
Contact Us
If you would like to work with us on designing matching systems for refugee resettlement, please drop us a line.