Three years in: IDEA-NET delivers practical tools for change  

IDEA-net is an Erasmus+ project which focused on inclusive higher education. The project expanded the network of inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) practitioners in higher education through institutional capacity building. Over three years, the IDEA-net team developed the following practical tools that work across different cultures to build capacity on IDEA. 

Investigating the status quo

The first of the project’s key achievements is its compendium of 60+ IDEA practices. This is the most viewed resource on the project website. These aren’t just theories; they’re real case studies from 28 countries across six global regions.

Each case study offers a reflective look at how institutions have addressed IDEA challenges. They reveal what motivated these practices, how they’re organised, which policies support them, and how institutions tackle sustainability issues.

The project team created and moderated the LinkedIn Group “An alliED network for inclusion in education”. This community became a vital space for sharing the use cases and other resources. It became also a forum to challenge assumptions about how IDEA initiatives can succeed amid changing political and economic climates.

Bringing people and contexts together 

A five-module capacity building framework provides modularised resources for faculty, staff, students and leadership. Access the online capacity building modules or download the PDF version. As a practical tool, the framework breaksdown complex IDEA concepts into actionable workshop activities.

The modules cover:

• IDEA Concepts and Frameworks
• Creating safe, brave and accountable spaces
• Recognising microaggressions and being an active bystander
• Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy
• Next steps for IDEA at your Institution

We made sure these modules work in different national, regional, and institutional settings. The tool was tested in person at universities in Belgrade, Ljubljana, and Zadar. Then, it was improved for online use.

A step-by-step guide that works

The guideline toolkit for setting up an IDEA office is another practical output from the IDEA-net projecft. Based on nine manageable steps including how to identify need and underrepresented groups to designing optimal IDEA structures. 

What sets this resource apart? It doesn’t shy away from difficult realities. The toolkit addresses how to handle conservative opposition, secure leadership buy-in, and when incremental approaches might prove more sustainable than radical change.

Our approach: making change sustainable

The IDEA-net project shows what happens when context in education planning matters. We merged our networks’ expertise with our drive for innovation. Together, we created resources that institutions are already using and adapting. 

Higher education faces complex inclusion challenges that can’t be solved with one-size-fits-all solutions. Projects like IDEA-net prove that thoughtful, collaborative approaches can create lasting change — one institution and one conversation at a time.