2024 at Smart Venice: a Year of impact?

As we reflect on 2024, we are thrilled to share the strides we’ve made toward a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future. ??? This year has been about collaboration, innovation, and tangible action—turning ideas into impactful initiatives across Europe and beyond. ???? From education to feminist activism, from AI fairness to green transition policies, our work has been shaped by a deep commitment to gender equality and participatory practices. ????

?? Here are some of our highlights from this transformative year:

1?? STEM Education with a Gender Perspective

?? Within the Erasmus+ @Fairness in Teaching project, we designed and delivered courses for primary and secondary school teachers on teaching STEM disciplines with a gender and intersectional approach. ??? Highlights include the creation of innovative resources like the Women in STEM Flashcards Game and more! ??????

2?? AI and Gender-Sensitive Design

?? This year, participating to the BIAS Project , saw the completion of our report on co-creative and participatory methods for gender-sensitive and intersectional AI design. ?? An international workshop in Venice brought experts together to simulate human-machine interactions and explore fairness concepts. ??? Additionally, we developed three training courses for HR professionals, AI specialists, and NGOs, set to launch across Europe in 2025. ??????

3?? Striving for a Feminist Europe

?? Feminist networks and organizations from the FIERCE Project Transnational Lab co-created the Five Claims for a Feminist Europe campaign to engage candidates for the European Parliament elections. ???? In November, we hosted the vibrant FIERCE Week in Venice, featuring a Winter School and a final workshop bridging feminist activists and scholars. We have finalized a report on feminist European level movements and NGOs and a paper has been accepted for presentation at the ISA Conference next year ??????

4?? Inclusive Digital and Green Transitions

?? For the Fitter-EU project, we designed a stakeholder engagement methodology and guidelines to study the impacts of digital and green transition policies on inequalities using participatory approaches. ?????

5?? Advancing Gender Equality in Research

?? In the NEXUS project, we developed an evaluation methodology to assess the impact of Gender Equality Plans and delivered training sessions while preparing to launch the Nexus e-learning curriculum. ????

6?? Local Engagement in STEM Education

?? Through the STEM-Byte project, we organized workshops and guidance sessions for schools on inclusive STEM teaching. ???? We also delivered a Gender+ in Research and Teaching training course at IUAV University. ???

7?? A Track Record for 2025

?? To cap off an extraordinary year, we secured funding for three new projects, achieving a 100% success rate in our submission efforts. ??? These initiatives promise to extend our impact further in the years ahead. ??

?? From gender-sensitive teaching to AI fairness, feminist activism, and inclusive policy design, we’ve worked tirelessly to advance our mission. None of this would be possible without our talented team and inspiring partners. ????

?? Here’s to a transformative 2025! We'll move to a brand new office, onboard new skilled colleagues, improve our internal management processes, and we are looking forward to meeting new partners!

Thank you for being part of our journey. ????