The EU-funded research project AMALTHEA (“EnAbling a Model-driven deep understAnding of the roLe of gender Towards a Holistic solution against Extremism and radicalization Activities”) has officially started. The project, coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) under the Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101225661), brings together a consortium of fifteen partners, including academic institutions, technical and civil society organisations and law enforcement agencies (LEAs), from across Europe and Canada. During the project’s lifecycle (October 2025 – September 2028), AMALTHEA will work to deepen understanding of the role of gender in radicalisation and extremism, and to develop innovative, evidence-based tools and policy guidance for more effective prevention and countering of violent extremism.
Despite the importance of the role of gender in radicalisation and CVE initiatives, research and practice in this field have largely remained gender-blind. AMALTHEA seeks to move beyond traditional approaches by generating gender-sensitive empirical evidence, integrating feminist and intersectional insights into the design and implementation of preventive measures and technical tools, and providing actionable knowledge for practitioners and policymakers.
To achieve its objectives, the AMALTHEA project follows a comprehensive, multi-layered methodology that integrates research, modelling, innovation, and validation. The project begins with a dynamic knowledge base by combining automated data aggregation from online sources, primary research with stakeholders, and cross-country policy analysis, into the gendered drivers of radicalisation, examining the complex connection between social belonging, identity construction, trauma, empowerment narratives, and structural inequalities. These frameworks will enable the systematic modelling and organisation of knowledge on gender and extremism, ensuring coherence across disciplines and professional domains. On this basis, the consortium will design and develop model-driven tools and interactive resources that operationalise research findings into practical applications for LEAs, civil society organisations, local actors and other relevant stakeholders. The final stage focuses on the validation and capacity building, testing the developed training and policy tools and approaches in real-life contexts, assessing their usability and impact, and refining them through participatory engagement with stakeholders, to empower them and strengthen community resilience against radicalisation across Europe.
The AMALTHEA consortium consists of 15 partners with complementary expertise and perspectives. In addition to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) as project coordinator, the consortium includes Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), Institutul de Cercetare a Calității Vieții (Romania), Queen’s University at Kingston (Canada), CONVERGENCE (Greece), European Foundation for Democracy (Belgium), Centre d’Action et de Prévention contre la Radicalisation des Individus (France), CESIE (Italy), Symplexis (Greece), ITML (Cyprus), Netcompany (Luxembourg), Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Spain), Hellenic Police (Greece), Serviciul de Protecție și Pază (Romania), and the Inspectoratul General al Poliției (Moldova).
AMALTHEA aims to contribute to a more inclusive, data-driven, and ethically grounded understanding of radicalisation and exremism. Through its outcomes, the project aspires to strengthen the capacities of European institutions and international and local actors to anticipate and counter radicalisation dynamics, ensuring that the gender aspect becomes integral to future prevention frameworks.
For further information about the project, please contact us!