India-based research project development event, ICERM 2025, jointly hosted by Anant National University and Penn GSE.
In July 2025, Anant National University, India's premier design university, hosted the Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methodology Convening in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). This groundbreaking event marked the launch of the Indigenous Consciousness Methodology Education Research Project (ICER), an initiative aimed at advancing Indigenous Consciousness research methodologies in education.
The ICER project seeks to honour local knowledge systems, prioritize community engagement, and promote sustainable and equitable educational frameworks. Its primary objective is to inform education policy development in India by ensuring Indigenous perspectives are central to designing culturally responsive and impactful learning models. This initiative aligns with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes inclusive education rooted in local and indigenous knowledge.
Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi, Provost of Anant National University, stated that the university is a diverse and dynamic institution that integrates indigenous knowledge into its design pedagogy. He emphasized that the university's mission includes promoting global engagement and driving innovative, locally relevant education methodologies and materials rooted in India's vibrant local cultures, regional diversities, and national aspirations.
The convening, which took place at the Anant campus, was attended by scholars, policy experts, and practitioners. Dr Leland S McGee, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Penn GSE and Senior Associate Director of GSE Office of Student Success, University of Pennsylvania, emphasized the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in education and policy. Dr Diti Vyas, Associate Professor at Anant National University, highlighted the focus of the convening on interrogating, exposing, and undoing the dangers and desires of colonization in education through indigenous consciousness.
The partnership between Anant National University and Penn GSE fosters cooperative research, international exchanges, and the exchange of academic materials and initiatives. Penn GSE, an Ivy League institution, has a century-long tradition of producing education leaders driven by innovation, research, and social impact. Anant National University, recognized as the Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat and received a '5-Star Rating' in the category of Architecture and a '4-Star Rating' in the University category in the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2023-24, offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in design, architecture, climate action, and visual arts.
The ICER project is scheduled to begin in the academic year 2025-2026 and represents a significant step toward integrating Indigenous methodologies into formal education research and policy. The project advances Anant's collaboration with Penn GSE, expanding efforts in global education innovation. Penn GSE actively partners with schools, universities, and communities worldwide to improve educational access and equity.
[1] Anant National University Press Release, "Anant National University and University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education Announce Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methodology Convening," July 25, 2025. [2] University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Press Release, "Indigenous Consciousness Methodology Education Research Project Launched at Anant National University," July 26, 2025.
- The ICER project, an initiative focusing on Indigenous Consciousness research methodologies in education, aims to prioritize community engagement and promote sustainable education frameworks, aligning with India's National Education Policy 2020 and its emphasis on inclusive education rooted in local and indigenous knowledge.
- Penn GSE, a prestigious institution with a century-long tradition of producing education leaders driven by innovation, research, and social impact, is partnering with Anant National University to foster cooperative research, international exchanges, and the exchange of academic materials and initiatives in education and self-development, policy and legislation, online-education, and general-news.
- In July 2025, the collaboration between Anant National University and Penn GSE culminated in the Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methodology Convening, which brought scholars, policy experts, and practitioners together to discuss the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in education and policy.
- Anant National University, recognized for its design pedagogy that integrates indigenous knowledge, further seeks to drive innovative educational methodologies and materials rooted in India's vibrant cultures, regional diversities, and national aspirations.
- The Indigenous Consciousness Methodology Education Research Project (ICER), scheduled to begin in the academic year 2025-2026, signifies a milestone in integrating Indigenous methodologies into formal education research and policy, and an expansion of efforts in global education innovation for culture, events, learning, politics, and more.
