Accademia Italiana Arte Moda Design is a private higher education institution accredited within the Italian AFAM system (Alta Formazione Artistica, Musicale e Coreutica), with campuses in Rome and Florence and part of the AD Education group. The academy offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, and creative arts, combining design culture and professional practice in a distinctly Italian educational tradition. It works in close partnership with design industry companies, cultural institutions, and international networks to bridge academic training and sector employment, providing students with access to real commissions, professional mentors, and international mobility pathways. Accademia Italiana operates within European higher education frameworks and has experience managing and participating in EU-funded projects in the fields of creative education, digital innovation, and skills development.
The Faculty of Design (FD) is an independent higher education institution based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, established in 2005. It operates as an innovative and interdisciplinary institution, bringing together the fields of art, design, humanities, and technology.
FD offers undergraduate and master’s study programmes in Design, with specialisations in Interior Design, Visual Communications (including UX/UI at the master’s level), Fashion and Textiles, Design Management, and Jewellery. In addition, it provides short programmes leading to microcredentials, supporting lifelong learning and the development of contemporary skills.
Its educational approach is grounded in the “knowledge triangle,” integrating academic knowledge, research and artistic practice, and the needs of industry and society. Through its curricula, FD actively promotes sustainability, social responsibility, and the principles of Society 5.0.
FD is actively involved in the Erasmus+ programme and is a member of several international networks, including Cumulus, the World Design Organization (WDO), the New European Bauhaus (NEB), the European Creative Business Network (ECBN), the 3C Awards, the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), and the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA). At the national level, FD collaborates with the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and EMUNI University.
Within the AIDEA project, FD contributes its expertise in design education and supports the development and testing of AI-driven teaching methodologies.
The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is a multi-campus university with over 15,000 students, with a focus on applied sciences and close collaboration with industry. Within TUS, the IDEAM Research Institute plays a key role in advancing digitalisation, including the integration of AI and intelligent systems as well as smart manufacturing and sustainable innovation across Ireland’s manufacturing sectors.
The Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), also part of TUS, is one of Ireland’s leading centres for art, design and creative media education. Established in 1852, it offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes across fine art, design, digital arts and media, delivered through a multidisciplinary and practice-based approach. Together, these complementary areas of expertise support interdisciplinary collaboration within TUS, contributing to activities focused on integrating AI into design education.
CIAPE – Centro Italiano per l’Apprendimento Permanente is a non-profit organisation funded in 2009 and based in Rome, active at local, national, and European level in the fields of education, culture, and social innovation. Its core mission is to design and implement innovative learning experiences that foster personal development, social inclusion, and active cultural participation.
CIAPE operates at the intersection of education and creativity, developing methodologies that integrate artistic, experiential, and relational dimensions into learning processes. Its main areas of activity include adult education, capacity building for educators and cultural operators, international cooperation projects (notably within Erasmus+), and the design of participatory learning formats such as training courses, residencies, and community-based initiatives.
STEP Institute is an innovative non-profit organization based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations for personal and professional growth. They address complex challenges through an integrated approach that combines psychology, sociology, and economics, bridging gaps between education and work, business and the public sector, and research and practice. STEP supports individuals in identifying their strengths, developing key skills, and bringing their ideas to life.
For organizations, they provide tailored support through employee engagement, train-the-trainer programs, and team coaching to strengthen collaboration and skills development. They also promote inclusive personal growth through initiatives for youth, educators, and underrepresented groups. Actively involved in national and European projects, STEP focuses on delivering tangible impact and fostering meaningful, long-term partnerships across sectors.
The Know Center is a leading European research center for trustworthy AI and data science. Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Dominik Kowald and Dr. Simone Kopeinik, Fair AI aims to minimize discrimination and foster user trust by enabling informed, self-determined interactions with AI systems. The research is anchored in three primary objectives: understanding and mitigating cognitive and social biases—like popularity and gender biases—present in training data; designing personalized modeling techniques to guarantee algorithmic fairness and transparency; and engineering privacy-aware recommender systems that balance precision with robust user data protection. By addressing these core vulnerabilities, the Know Center actively establishes reliable, ethical AI frameworks applicable across diverse societal sectors, including healthcare, mobility, insurance, entertainment and finance.
Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences is an international higher education institution based in the Netherlands, focused on business, management, and applied research. Its main activities include delivering internationally oriented bachelor’s and master’s programmes, conducting applied research across multiple themes, and fostering strong links with industry and global academic partners. The institution has particular expertise in internationalisation, entrepreneurship education, digital transformation, and the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence into curricula.
Within the AIDEA project, Wittenborg contributes its experience in applied research, industry collaboration, and innovation in education. It leads communication, dissemination, and upscaling activities, coordinates a pre-incubation programme supporting student-led AI-driven solutions, and contributes to developing teaching methodologies, ensuring alignment between design education, AI innovation, and labour market needs.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Erasmus+ National Agency INDIRE. Neither the European Union nor INDIRE can be held responsible for them.