ISMAT lecturer stands out at the Global Forum 2025 with innovative contributions on sustainable futures.
The Global Forum 2025, held in Madrid from 27 to 29 October, brought together leaders, researchers, and decision-makers from more than 40 countries to reflect on the major global challenges of the 21st century, including digital transformation, ecological transition, governance, and planetary sustainability.
Among international experts such as Tim Unwin (UNESCO Chair in ICT4D), Christophe Binot (TotalEnergies), Jennifer Mankoff (Carnegie Mellon University), and Eyal Bloch (TOP Global), Portugal was represented by Professor Américo Mateus, Director of the Master’s in Design for the Circular Economy and lecturer–researcher at ISMAT and CIAUD – COFAC.
The professor took part in two highly relevant sessions. In the panel “Exploring 21st-Century Futures: Scenarios from Foundation 2100”, he presented the Co-nature’ing + HNI Design methodology, an approach that integrates Humanity, Nature, and Intelligence within a model of living and circular cognition. His contribution highlighted design as a practice of regeneration and co-evolution, positioning Artificial Intelligence as a new organ of perception between the human and the natural.
In addition to his scientific presentation, Américo Mateus moderated the panel “Culture, Heritage and Nature-based Solutions: Building Resilient Communities in the Digital Age”, which brought together specialists such as Marco Acri, Naomie Kayitesi, Eric Legale, Hugo Kerschot, Daniel van Lerberghe, Husni al Abri, and Eyal Bloch. The discussion underlined the role of culture, heritage, and nature-based solutions in building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable societies.
For the lecturer, “the design of the future will not be built, it will be cultivated — in communion between the human, the Earth, and intelligence.”
With this participation, ISMAT and CIAUD–COFAC strengthen their position as international references in sustainable design, biodesign, and digital transition, promoting research oriented towards the regeneration of communities, life, and knowledge.
