Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) Policy Support

RAN Policy Support aims to provide EU policy-makers with evidence-based information and analysis on preventing and countering violent extremism and related topics.

EU Member States are faced with numerous challenges ranging from homegrown terrorism to foreign terrorist fighters, which threaten international peace and security. Effectively preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism requires a multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach as well as a strong evidence base to foster a deeper understanding of the complex radicalisation process. RAN Policy Support aims to address these challenges by bridging the gap between policy-makers and researchers and helping EU Member States to take informed decisions to effectively prevent and counter violent extremism.

Project team

Emily Winterbotham, Director of Terrorism and Conflict, RUSI
Dr Joana de Deus Pereira, Senior Research Fellow, RUSI Europe
Petra Regeni, Research and Project Officer, RUSI Europe

Aims and objectives

RUSI is a founding member of the consortium that runs RAN Policy Support. This strand of RAN was launched in January 2021 by the European Commission to complement RAN Practitioners.

RAN Policy Support brings together a wide community of experts from academia, think tanks, public and private sector institutions and civil society organisations with the aim of informing the policy-making process in the EU.

RAN Policy Support is committed to providing EU policy-makers with evidence-based information and analysis on current challenges and emerging trends in radicalisation and violent extremism and thereby increase the knowledge base on priority policy areas.

It supports the European Commission in implementing key policy priorities, including the EU Security Union Strategy, the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda, as well as the annual Strategic Orientations on a coordinated EU approach to the prevention of radicalisation adopted by the EU Member States.

Activities carried out by RAN Policy Support include knowledge-generating and capacity-building programmes to bridge the gap between policy-makers and researchers. These include:

Ad-hoc papers and consolidated overviews
Training programmes and study visits
Workshops and thematic research events
Strategic communication in critical P/CVE areas

Other resources, including the EC Research e-library on Radicalisation and the EU Research Community on Radicalisation, reinforce and foster interdisciplinary partnerships and exchanges among its members.