Over September 18 & 19, 2026, the partners in the European project, Open Universal STEAM for All (OpenUS4ALL), in addition to methodology developers, local and regional policymakers, school administrators, and representatives from European Schoolnet, are going to hold the project’s final meeting in the Undergraduate Room of Arenals Hall on the Elche Campus of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). This initiative was created in response to the profound changes of the digital age and the widespread decline in interest in science subjects among young people, and it so it has proposed a profound transformation in secondary education through innovative methodologies.

The event begins at 9:30 a.m., with remarks by Ángel Carbonell, Vice Rector for Research and Transfer at the UMH; Mari Carmen Perea, UMH associate professor and project coordinator; Luís Souto de Miranda, mayor of Aveiro (Portugal); Agueda Gras Velázquez, from the European School Network; and Tunç Erdal Akdur, from the Turkish Ministry of National Education.

During the two-day event, a STEAM Policy and Sustainability Forum will form with panel discussions featuring international experts, debates on future curricula, and networking lunches, along with a STEAM Fair open to the general public. At the fair, students, teachers, and families can participate in hands-on workshops where they will simulate seismographs to understand earthquakes, discover how to mitigrate the risks associated with torrential rainfall and flash flooding, create biodegradable plastics from potato starch, analyze food, and explore the city using augmented reality through the EduCITY app. The event will ultimately conclude with a heartfelt awards ceremony for participating schools and students.

The OpenUS4ALL project, which has lasted 36 months, is funded by the Erasmus+ program and coordinated by the UMH, in partnership with institutions from Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Turkey. The core concept of OpenUS4ALL is based on the integration of three innovative educational approaches: STEAM (which incorporates the arts into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to foster creativity); Universal Design for Learning (UDL); and Open Schooling. While the STEAM approach promotes the resolution of complex problems from a transdisciplinary perspective, UDL ensures that activities are inclusive and accessible to all students and respect diversity. For its part, Open Schooling breaks down the boundaries of the traditional classroom and connects learning with the community, families, businesses, and local research entities.

To implement this model in schools, OpenUS4ALL provides educators with a structured methodological guide and a digital platform that facilitates the planning and evaluation of projects focused on developing 21st-century skills.

Through the implementation of real-world pilot projects focused on key themes such as nutrition and health, sustainable smart cities, marine conservation, and natural disaster management, students transition from being passive recipients to becoming researchers and creators capable of generating solutions for their communities.

This project has been co-funded by the European Union. The opinions and views expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.