Digital Impetus for Integration: “Integrationsmacher:innen” Project Launches Second Round in Freiburg, Karlsruhe, and Salzwedel

• The Robert Bosch Stiftung and Lokalprojekte are supporting municipalities in developing digital solutions for local integration work.
• For six months, external experts will develop online tools directly within municipal administrations — from accelerating naturalization procedures to creating new networking platforms.

Berlin/Stuttgart, February 17, 2026 – Despite declining numbers of asylum applications, cities, districts, and municipalities continue to face intense pressure when it comes to integrating refugees: a shortage of housing, overstretched childcare facilities and schools, limited places in language courses, and understaffed public administrations all hinder effective integration work. Financial constraints and social challenges place additional burdens on municipalities, often pushing them to their limits.
To address this, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the nonprofit start-up Lokalprojekte launched the “Integrationsmacher:innen” project. It helps municipalities future-proof their integration work through digital innovation. The second project cohort is now underway — with participating municipalities Karlsruhe, Freiburg, and Salzwedel.

The approach is similar to a matchmaking process: municipalities looking to solve specific challenges are paired with experts from civil society or the private sector. These “makers” work directly within the administration for six months.

In Freiburg, for example, a digital pre-check system for naturalization applications is being developed to cut processing times in half. With their external perspective and expertise, the makers create space to develop concrete digital solutions together with the administration.
A survey funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung in November 2025 highlights how urgent the need is: around 45 percent of immigration authorities reported operating in “emergency mode,” and eleven percent of municipalities described their situation regarding accommodation as “overburdened” or likewise “in emergency mode.”

Hannes Einsporn, Head of Migration at the Robert Bosch Stiftung, emphasizes:
“Through the Integrationsmacher:innen, tangible improvements in municipal integration work are achieved. Moreover, successful approaches can be scaled and strategically communicated to decision-makers at the municipal, state, and federal levels.”

To ensure that insights from the projects have impact beyond the individual municipalities, participants gain access to a nationwide network where they can learn from each other, exchange experiences, and make successful solutions visible to other municipalities.

The first round of Integrationsmacher:innen, conducted from 2023 to 2024, has already proven the effectiveness of the approach. In the rural Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, for example, staff shortages and uncoordinated processes made integration work difficult; many actors felt they were working in isolation. Together, the administration and their “maker” developed a digital network for all full-time integration stakeholders. Today, the platform consolidates knowledge, creates transparency, and facilitates exchange.
The current project round also tackles concrete challenges. In Freiburg, naturalization procedures can take up to four years due to high numbers of applications. The local tandem of administration and maker is now developing a digital pre-check system for documents. The aim is to accelerate processes, reduce administrative workload, and significantly shorten waiting times for applicants.

Carolina Leersch, Co-Managing Director of Lokalprojekte gGmbH, explains:
“Integrationsmacher:innen are unique because they arrive with a fresh perspective. They get to know the administration from the inside, ask new questions — and create the space needed to experiment and develop innovative digital solutions together.”