T. Deniz Erkmen runs ‘Social Sciences for democracy: A training program for improving research on illiberal systems and finding ways to build more robust democracies’ which is supported by: Horizon-Widera Grant Agreement No.101119678 The project “SOS4demoracy” is a training program for improving research on illiberal democracies and examining ways to build more robust democracies, organized and led by the Institute of Criminology at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It aims to bring together academic and nonacademic partners in SouthEastern Europe to deepen intersectoral cooperation in research and increase research capacity, communication, and exchange of ideas regarding illiberal democracies. The project started in September 2023 and will run until September 2027. It comprises 10 partners (6 universities and 4 non-academic institutions) from 5 countries (Slovenia, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, and Bosnia-Herzegovina). Dr. T. Deniz Erkmen is the lead partner from Özyeğin University and for the project, she will spend time in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.