I² Identity and Innovation

A project co-financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme, to support knowledge exchange, collaboration and sharing of good practices, especially for secondary education in schools.

The scope of the project is based on a participative trajectory between different actors in the sector of school education and cultural heritage, so to develop an integrated vision and creative solutions for a future-oriented innovation in European education, enforcing at the same time its roots and making visible its identity. At the very basis of the project’s concept, there are two core challenges: enhancing the historic value of educational heritage and creating innovative surroundings and practices for schools.

In this project, the main focus was on developing new skills in educational experts and teachers, and on collaboratively exploring ways of teaching and learning that take into account the role of school heritage and the potential of digital tools, also in the light of adapting local learning environments to a more modern, sustainable and more digital teaching practice.

Additionally, the project served to understanding the potential of the rich variety of school heritage, especially when it is made more visible and used in school programmes, also taking into account the impact on supporting the community building processes that exist in schools.

Additionally, the project reflected on possible ways to making school buildings and surrounding landscapes more sustainable, and to adapting them for ameliorating the wellbeing and the quality of school life for students, teachers and all the people who live work and operate in the school buildings.

Read all the blogs about the I2 project >>>

Visit the project’s website >>>

Download the project’s knowledge-exchange outcomes:

>>> I2 Vision document (PDF, 474 Kb)

>>> Co-creational trajectory (PDF, 1700 Kb)

>>> Good practice guide on educational activities (PDF, 11 Mb)

>>> Good practice examples (PDF, 5.7 Mb)


Complementary expertise

In this project, there are three types of partners, with a very different focus, that put expertise together to create an added value for partner organisations and a deeper mutual understanding of the different aspects involved in educational heritage.

  • The educational institutions learned to understand the variety of educational heritage better, were amazed by the richness and depth of activities that can be developed with this heritage and enjoyed the opportunity to talk to experts on heritage all over Europe.
  • The heritage services on the other hand got a more profound insight into aspects important when developing educational activities for secondary and higher education students and increased their understanding of digital tools that can be used for this.
  • The networking organisations, finally, were enriched by the other organisations and expanded their network, often with institutions that they hadn’t previously met or worked with.

Outreach and dissemination

The project included a rich programme of round tables and teaching/learning activities also engaging students, that enabled development of best practices, exchange of knowledge and ideas, capacity building in digital skills for teachers. The events were realized either in virtual, physical or hybrid format and were for most part open also to external participants and stakeholders. The presentations and recordings from the online sessions are available for consultation (access from the table below).

These outcomes, and all the knowledge created in the project are made available to the larger network of cultural heritage and education sectors also via a number of tangible products that include:

  • a vision document about the role of school heritage in community building
  • a co-creational trajectory to support other schools and organization in the creation of valuable international partnerships
  • a number of e-books, free to download, addressing two main topics: Educational Activities and Good Practice Examples.

List of project’s events

Round Table 1
27-30 September 2021
hosted by University of Macerata
Creativity and Key competences
view >>>
Round Table 2
24-25 February and 21-22 March 2022
hosted by The Thomas Cowley High School
Educational heritage and (cultural) sustainability
view >>>
Exchange week in Leuven
25-29 April 2022
hosted by Heilig Hartinstituut Pedagogische Humaniora
in collaboration with Cultureel Erfgoed Annuntiaten Heverlee
Students and partners exchange week
view >>>
Partners week in Italy
27 June – 1 July 2022
in Pisa hosted by Photoconsortium
in Macerata hosted by University of Macerata
Project meetings and dissemination
read more >>>
Exchange week in UK
10 – 15 October 2022
hosted by Harlaxton College
Students and partners exchange week
view >>>

Project partners:

I² Identity and Innovation is co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, project number 2020-1-BE02-KA227-SCH-083082