OPEN RELIEF Officially Launches
- Mar 30
- 2 min read
The OPEN RELIEF project has officially begun, marking the start of a two-year European collaboration focused on open-source creative solutions for crisis preparedness and humanitarian innovation.
The OPEN RELIEF consortium held its online Kick-off Meeting on 24 and 27 March 2026, formally launching the implementation of the project “Empowering Communities through Open-Source Creative Solutions for Crisis Preparedness and Humanitarian Innovation.” Funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe, the 24-month project brings together partners from Croatia, Greece, and Ukraine to rethink how communities prepare for crises through creativity, collaboration, and open-source innovation.
About OPEN RELIEF
OPEN RELIEF responds to a growing need for more inclusive, adaptable, and community-based emergency preparedness solutions. While crisis preparedness and 72-hour survival planning are becoming increasingly important across Europe, many existing tools remain difficult to repair, culturally limited, or poorly adapted to the practical and emotional needs of the people who rely on them.
The project places cultural and creative sector professionals at the center of preparedness innovation, connecting them with humanitarian organizations and local communities through participatory co-creation processes.
What Comes Next
Following the kick-off meeting, the OPEN RELIEF team will focus on establishing Communities of Practice in each partner country, connecting creatives, humanitarian actors, and community members. The consortium will also finalise the project’s Communication and Dissemination Strategy, launch the project website, and begin capacity-building activities related to the OPEN RELIEF methodology, frugal innovation, and humanitarian design.
The first in-person Consortium Meeting is planned to take place in Zagreb, Croatia, bringing partners together to continue shaping the project’s next phase.
Project Consortium
OPEN RELIEF is coordinated by IM INDUSTRIES from Croatia, which leads project coordination, capacity building, and participatory design residencies for marginalised communities.
The consortium also includes Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD) from Ukraine, contributing expertise in digital fabrication, engineering design, and frugal innovation from a conflict-affected context, and LATRA EE from Greece, leading communication and dissemination activities, as well as hybrid hubs for participatory design with refugees and displaced creatives.
Stay connected:
Facebook: facebook.com/openrelief1
Instagram: @open_relief
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/open-relief
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
