START’s Amy Pate, Barnett Koven and Devin Ellis are visiting the International Institute of Islamic Civilisation & Malay World (ISTAC) within the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) this week to kick off a joint research initiative project titled "Building Research Capacity for Countering Violent Extremism in Malaysia" with ISTAC’s Danial Bin Mohammad Yusof and colleagues.
Funded by the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, the project aims to build capacity for empirical data collection and analysis and establish collaborative research initiatives between START and Malaysian researchers as well as a network of international scholars. The project also aims to enrich training modules with simulations, information on geospatially informed countering violent extremism (CVE) programs and data on individual radicalization.
While in Kuala Lumpur, the START team will provide training on working with human subjects and quantitative research design, learn more about the research partners' ongoing projects, and consult with local scholars and practitioners to learn more about their cultural expertise and research on CVE. Their trip will conclude with a series of meetings with the U.S. embassy staff to officially launch the project.