Origin Story of CERI
The University of Graz aims to strengthen its commitment to socially relevant issues in the coming years. The establishment of the Faculty Center for Empirical Research in Inclusion will enhance the focus on inclusion in both teacher education and research, giving the topic of inclusion at the University of Graz greater significance and visibility. This is a necessary step, particularly in light of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006). In recent years, several major projects in the field of inclusion research have been realised at the University of Graz. One of these was the project "Establishment of a Research Center for Inclusive Education" (FZIB), which has received substantial initial funding from the BMBWF from 2020 to 2024. FZIB is still a collaboration between the University of Graz, PPH Augustinum, and PH Styria.
To continue strengthening and further developing inclusion research in an open format for cross-institutional collaboration after the project's conclusion of “Establishment of a Research Center for inclusive Education”, the establishment of the Faculty Center was an important step.
The Faculty Center for Empirical Research in Inclusion is also continuing to work on the development of the “Digital Lab for Inclusion”, a space for research and experimentation for schools and universities that develops innovative teaching methods and tools to support inclusive and differentiated teaching.