The REMS project is unique in establishing an alliance between three of the strongest US research universities that are also MSIs (or Minority-Serving Institutions), including the lead US partner, Howard University, which is the only Carnegie Doctoral Research-Extensive university that is also a Historically Black University and four of the strongest European universities with programs in ethnic relations, migration and nationalism studies.

The universities involved in this project have a rich academic tradition in the study of race, ethnicity, nationalism and migration, each from a unique perspective.

Howard University is a national leader in the study of issues of race in the US , while in Europe, Utrecht University has a well-established tradition of research in ethnic relations and migration within the European Research Center of Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER).

Due to the specific positions in the American society of Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans, race relations are social issues relevant to study. Given their expertise in these areas of study, the University of Texas at El Paso and Vanderbilt University are exciting choices as US partners.

In Europe issues of multiculturalism, integration of ethnic minorities in mainstream societies, and the nationalistic responses of the host societies are of major concern for current social policy and academic research. Among the European universities/research institutes Utrecht specializes in areas like racial stereotyping, racism and nationalism; the Central European University (CEU) in integrating the two disciplines of sociology and social anthropology and relating the study of international structures to that of cultural meanings; at the University of Coimbra researchers focus on socio-cultural trends within increasingly diverse societies and on international migration; and in Edinburgh, nationalism studies bear on many issues of contemporary concern: ethnic conflict, border disputes, minority and human rights, peace processes, democratic and governmental reform, the fate of the welfare state.