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Design2Freedom at ICERI 2025: Our contribution to inclusive higher education

The Design2Freedom consortium, including Creative District as innovation partner, presented groundbreaking research on person-centered inclusive design at ICERI 2025. The Erasmus+ project demonstrates how participatory methodologies transform higher education into accessible, human-centered learning environments.

Design2Freedom Takes the
International Stage in Sevilla

The Design2Freedom consortium, of which Creative District is a proud partner, achieved a significant milestone today at the International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2025) in Sevilla, Spain — one of Europe's leading academic events on innovation and inclusion in higher education.
Laura Ruiz Minguet from COCEMFE (Spain), representing the consortium, presented the collaborative research paper:

Person-Centered Inclusive Design in Higher Education: A Case Study from the Design2Freedom Project

The presentation took place within the Special Education (1) session chaired by Catherine Comfort from The Open University (UK), showcasing the innovative methodologies developed by the five-partner consortium.

A European Partnership for Inclusive Education

Design2Freedom is an Erasmus+ KA220-HED project (2023–2026) bringing together five partners from Spain, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Belgium:
COCEMFE
Viko
Tuke
UDC
Creative DIstrict
The consortium unites universities, NGOs, and creative organizations with a shared mission: to promote person-centered and participatory design in higher education, ensuring that people with disabilities are not passive beneficiaries but active co-creators in shaping learning and social environments.

Creative District's Contribution to the Project

As the creative innovation and capacity building partner, Creative District brings its expertise in:

• Participatory design methodologies adapted from our work with entrepreneurs and communities
• Human-centered innovation approaches bridging design thinking with social inclusion
• Cross-sectoral collaboration connecting education, creativity, and civil society
• EU project delivery experience ensuring quality implementation and dissemination

Through our involvement, we contribute to developing replicable tools and methodologies that make inclusion tangible across European higher education institutions.

Key Results Presented at ICERI 2025

The presentation highlighted the concrete outcomes of the pilot activities implemented across partner universities:
Innovative Teaching Approaches
• Active learning methodologies based on the social model of disability
• Collaborative work involving students with and without disabilities
• Co-design processes with teachers and local NGOs
Tangible Deliverables
• Design2Freedom Toolkit – Practical resources for inclusive design in HE
• MOOC – Accessible online training
• Good Practice Guide – Replicable methodologies for universities
• Map of Experiences – Documentation of pilot implementations

The research demonstrates how person-centered design enhances both teaching quality and student engagement, while strengthening collaboration between academia and civil society.

Strategic Alignment with Creative District's Mission

This project perfectly aligns with Creative District’s dual-track model:

Bottom-Up: Co-creating with students, educators, and disability organizations to develop practical, user-centered solutions.

Top-Down: Influencing higher education policy and practices through evidence-based methodologies and academic dissemination.

Design2Freedom also connects with our engagement in the New European Bauhaus, sharing its values of beauty, sustainability, and inclusion — demonstrating how creative innovation can transform educational spaces into more accessible and human-centered environments.

Academic Visibility and Long-Term Impact

The consortium’s participation in ICERI 2025 marks a key milestone in the project’s dissemination strategy, bringing our collaborative work to the international academic community.

By presenting at one of Europe’s premier education research conferences, the consortium reinforces its contribution to building more accessible, equitable, and human-centered universities — bridging education, creativity, and social innovation.

This academic visibility strengthens Creative District’s position as a partner in inclusive design and participatory innovation, while expanding our network within European higher education institutions.

Learn More About Design2Freedom

All project results — including the MOOC, Toolkit, and Good Practice Guide — are freely available:

design 2 freedom | website 

Follow the project on social media: #Design2Freedom

ICERI 2025 | abstract view