Erasmus University Rotterdam
Erasmus University Rotterdam

IDEA Center's vision on inclusive engagement

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Erasmus University Rotterdam strives to be an engaged university that is locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally connected. To do so effectively, it also requires an internal organisational culture of engagement. As such, engagement is a dynamic and multifaceted process that connects universities with the communities they serve both on campus and beyond. Whether through research, education, direct engagement with society, or organisational culture, engagement is not a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Two employees walking on Woudestein campus.
Alexander Santos Lima

To guide meaningful engagement, IDEA Center at EUR has delineated the IDEA-L principles for inclusive engagement. These five interconnected principles – Inclusive engagement, Diverse engagement, Equitable engagement, Accessible engagement, and Lasting engagement- guide inclusive engagement in all domains of academic life: research, teaching, institutional culture, and partnerships with society. 

These principles are guiding orientations, rather than fixed rules. Think of engagement as a journey, not a destination, for which these principles can function as a guide to help institutions reflect on how engagement is done, who it includes, what it reinforces, and what it might transform. 

IDEA-L principles for inclusive engagement

The IDEA-L principles for inclusive engagement are deeply intertwined with each other and must work together to create meaningful, effective, and long-lasting engagement. Not integrating all principles can create unintended consequences or weaken engagement efforts. For example; Inclusion without accessibility leaves collaborators behind; diversity without equity risks tokenism; equity without inclusion can lead to top-down solutions that do not reflect community needs; inclusion without diversity creates a narrow or homogenous perspective; accessibility without equity means some barriers are removed, but deeper systemic issues remain; and sustainability (lasting) without equity can perpetuate unfair systems - just to name a few. 

To bring these principles to life, we have outlined a set of practical strategies* that translate these principles into action. In addition, we include an in-depth case example which illustrates how these principles can be embedded into every aspect of societal engagement. Taken together, these principles, strategies, and real-life example help us move beyond abstract commitments and ground our approach to engagement in reflection, intentionality, and shared responsibility.

The inclusive engagement principle

We are committed to including all perspectives - especially those who are underrepresented due to systemic barriers - in shaping how we work, what we value, and what we create, both within the university and beyond.

Strategies for inclusive engagement

Alexander Santos Lima
  • Recognize expertise across roles and communities: Value and actively include the expertise of internal and external colleagues and partners – not only in setting agendas and making decisions, but also in shaping how problems are understood, what questions are asked, and what outcomes are considered meaningful.
  • Create a welcoming environment: Actively challenge exclusionary norms and behaviors to make participation safe, respectful, and meaningful.
  • Be guided by cultural context: Let the perspectives, identities, traditions, and lived experiences of those you engage with — both within and beyond the university — inform the format, tone, and rhythm of engagement processes.
  • Honor multiple forms of knowledge: Value community-based knowledge, lived experiences, and cultural knowledge on equal footing with academic knowledge – for example, by offering co-authorship, co-design, or co-teaching.
  • Co-create from the start: Develop engagement goals, activities and questions with diverse internal and external communities.
Inclusive engagement in practice

The diverse engagement principle

We embrace all perspectives - ensuring that visible and invisible diversity is reflected in our teams, culture, and partnerships.

Strategies for diverse engagement

Two employees pointing at something.
Alexander Dos Santos
  • Be representative: Form teams and partnerships that reflect the diversity of the communities you engage with, across all levels of hierarchy- including leadership, facilitation, and outreach roles. 
  • Partner with diverse organizations and networks: Ensure that especially those that are grassroots, community-led, youth-based, or typically underrepresented in academic collaborations are incorporated in your network.
  • Proactively involve underrepresented perspectives and experiences from the outset: Expand who is invited to shape priorities, participate in design, and inform decision-making.
Inclusive engagement in practice

The equitable engagement principle

We confront and redress systemic barriers - ensuring that all participants have the resources, opportunities, and power to engage on fair and meaningful terms.

Strategies for equitable engagement

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  • Engage as equals: Recognize and address the power dynamics that shape whose knowledge and perspectives are prioritized, ensuring that all participants and collaboration partners have meaningful influence and agency.
  • Meet people where they are: Hold engagement activities in spaces that are familiar to participants, rather than expecting them to come to institutional environments. Prioritize community settings that feel safe, welcoming, and contextually relevant. 
  • Build space for trust: Allow time and resources to address and mitigate any personal or project-based hesitations, (systemic) mistrust, and/or (institutional) unfamiliarity, recognizing that these may reflect systemic harms or exclusions.
  • Compensate contributions fairly: Acknowledge and compensate community members for their (intellectual, emotional, and logistic) contributions, through appropriate recognition, payment, or credit. 
  • Embed equity in planning: Budget for accessibility, trust-building, and reciprocity into funding proposals, project planning, and institutional systems.
Equitable engagement in practice

The accessible engagement principle

We address diverse needs (in tone, timing, tools, and formats) so that everyone can participate fully, comfortably, and meaningfully.

Strategies for accessible engagement

Two students chatting at picnic table on EUR campus
  • Use inclusive language in all communications: Avoid academic or professional jargon unless it is jointly unpacked and adapt formats and tone to different audiences and needs.
  • Be sensitive to emotional and cultural nuance: Listen closely, avoid assumptions, and create space for people to show up fully, without having to navigate unspoken expectations or hidden norms.
  • Design engagement methods to be fit for purpose: Tailor the pace, methods, and formats of engagement to the specific needs and sensibilities of the community/individual and to the context, including physical, sensory, and neurodiverse accessibility, as well as non-digital, in-person, asynchronous, multilingual, or low-barrier formats.
  • Involve experience experts in access design: Involve people with lived experience of exclusion in designing and reviewing accessibility measures, recognizing they are best positioned to name what works and what doesn’t.
Accessible engagement in practice

The lasting engagement principle

We invest in long-term relationships and structures that support ongoing collaboration and systemic change.

Strategies for lasting engagement

Group of EUC students discussing
Alexander Santos Lima
  • Show up over time: Maintain a consistent and reciprocal presence both by showing up in community spaces and by creating space for community actors within the university. Lasting engagement requires long-term relationship building, not just project-based contact.
  • Set honest expectations: Be transparent about what can and cannot be influenced, and communicate clearly about roles, responsibilities, and expectations from the beginning.
  • Design for evolution: Design for flexibility- build in space to adapt goals, methods, and timelines in response to shifting community priorities, new knowledge, or changing conditions.
  • Create shared accountability: Create shared structures for accountability throughout the collaboration.
  • Evaluate with care: Embed reflection and evaluation into the engagement process, using both qualitative and relational indicators of impact- and involving partners and participants in defining what success looks like. 
  • Share lessons openly: Document not just successes, but also tensions and failures, to support collective learning and continuity.
Lasting engagement in practice

*Note: The strategies listed under each principle are not exhaustive, nor are they intended as a fixed checklist. Their relevance and application will vary depending on the context, the communities involved, and the domain of engagement - whether research, teaching, institutional culture, or external collaboration. Use them as starting points to reflect on what inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, and lasting engagement could look like in your specific setting.

It is important to recognize that IDEA-L engagement often requires significantly more time, resources, and relational effort than traditional, transactional forms of engagement. It demands sustained trust-building, meaningful co-creation, and structural responsiveness. However, motivated by both social justice and quality, it leads to more ethical, relevant, and impactful outcomes - and ultimately outperforms conventional approaches in terms of depth, legitimacy, and sustainability.

Read more about inclusive engagement

In the downloads below you will find a document with an overview of IDEA Center's vision on inclusive engagement. Furthermore, you will find our IDEA-L framework for inclusive engagement.

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