The past months have marked an extraordinary chapter for the Portuguese Living Labs, filled with international recognition, innovative achievements, and powerful strides in youth employability. From international visibility in AI education to transformative training initiatives in local communities, Synclusive continues to prove what inclusive innovation can accomplish.
A major highlight of Synclusive’s international visibility and educational impact was achieved in July 2025, when Portuguese youth from Escola Romeu Correia represented the project at the 1st International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education – FUTURES 2025, held in Lisbon on 9–10 July. During the conference, participants presented a series of posters showcasing outputs from the Synclusive training track on 3D modelling and 3D printing. The work focused on the development of accessible educational materials designed specifically for blind and low-vision students, demonstrating how advanced technologies can be mobilised to reduce learning barriers and promote equal access to education.
This inclusive and socially driven innovation received international recognition when one of the posters was awarded Best Poster of FUTURES 2025. The distinction not only highlights the technical and creative quality of the work developed within the Synclusive Living Labs, but also reinforces the project’s commitment to human-centred innovation, accessibility, and ethical use of technology in education.
Alongside its technological innovation, the Living Lab has also delivered a couple of targeted employability initiatives in collaboration with coalition partners. A notable example is the recent employability courses (Figure 2) delivered by PACT in the Alentejo region and covering topics such as Introduction to Design Thinking, Defining Real Problems, Ideation and Selection of Ideas, Prototyping Ideas and Feedback, Iteration and Continuous Improvement.
This initiatives, provided young participants with practical strategies to build strong professional profiles, improve their job applications, and effectively use AI-powered tools to enhance clarity, quality, and impact in recruitment processes.
The results showed a strong and consistent focus on youth employability, with young people (under 35) representing a core target group across all activities. Out of 85 individuals trained, 43 were unemployed youth, exceeding the initial target of 40 and demonstrating effective outreach and engagement with young jobseekers. Youth impact was further reinforced through the Talent Pool, where 50 young people benefited from targeted interventions and 10 unemployed youth were integrated into talent-matching mechanisms, supporting their transition into the labour market.