Foreword

BeLEARN can look back on an innovative and pioneering 2025. After the period of consolidation, this year was characterised by networking and our development of new ideas together. Two initiatives in particular shaped this breakthrough: BeLEARN-Connect and our Barcamp.

We launched BeLEARN-Connect in 2025 – our digital platform for exchange and collaboration. It is more than just a technical tool; it is the virtual meeting place for our community. This is where education, research and business come together in a structured dialogue. This is where partnerships develop beyond the boundaries of institutes. This is where ideas are developed and projects initiated. BeLEARN-Connect links researchers with representatives from practice, thus strengthening the transfer of knowledge in Switzerland. Our aim is clear: supporting long-term cooperation and accelerating innovation in digital learning. The positive resonance shows us that this kind of exchange fulfils a real need.

A second highlight was the Barcamp, which has proven itself to be a creative driver for new project ideas. Researchers, partners from practice and start-ups came together to develop joint research approaches and prepare specific project proposals. The openness of the format is especially encouraging: The Barcamp is open to everyone who wishes to drive forward solutions with didactic and pedagogic added value at all levels of education. The requirement for submitting a project application is participation in the first day of the event – an element that strengthens the joint development process.

The supported projects are distinguished by their clear translational character. BeLEARN supports projects with research results which can flow into educational practice quickly and effectively. Whether through implementation in schools, continuing education programmes, or cooperation with educational institutions: What is crucial is the specific added value for practice so that we can approach the key issues of the digital transformation in the education sector.

Both initiatives – BeLEARN-Connect and the Barcamp – are examples of what sets BeLEARN apart: the conviction that innovation occurs wherever people with different perspectives meet each other and take on responsibility together. I would like to thank all the colleges and universities, practice organisations, businesses and especially our dedicated office with CEO Jean-Daniel Roth, who all participate with specialist knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm.

Together we are developing BeLEARN as a centre of competence for digital transformation and education – networked, practical and impact oriented. I look forward to continuing this journey together with our strong community in the coming year.

Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager, President of the Board, BeLEARN

When I look back on 2025, I see a year full of breakthroughs: new formats, new faces and new impulses for the digital transformation of the education of tomorrow.

A special highlight was the first BeLEARN conference, “Translation 2025”: With over 150 participants in the vonRoll Areal of the teacher training university PHBern, we succeeded in creating a new meeting space for research, educational practice and business. The positive resonance has convinced us to continue this format in 2026 with the motto “Shaping Education”.

At the same time, we consistently expanded our practice projects dip and EduTransform, and made progress on innovative offers such as the ADHD VR simulation, XaraEdu and the Edu 3D Viewer. With the Graduate School Digitality and Education, we have also laid the foundations for an interdisciplinary doctoral programme which takes research on the digital transformation in education to a new level. Not least, AI orientation has been fundamentally overhauled and our website completely redesigned. Both of these were important steps for us to become even better at accompanying and supporting our community.

Behind all these developments are, of course, the people. I would like to thank the entire BeLEARN team for their extraordinary dedication, creativity and excellent collaboration. My sincere thanks also go to the Board members for their constructive support and for the trust that they place in us. This close collaboration is the basis for allowing BeLEARN to become what it should be: a vibrant centre of competence at the interface of digital transformation and education.

Jean-Daniel Roth, CEO of BeLEARN