CLab - Venice
CLabs are interdisciplinary laboratories typically structured in 6/8 weeks, addressing university students and graduates with different disciplinary backgrounds, in a process of developing original projects on real challenges and problems, through the enhancement of their creativity and using innovative methodologies such as Design Thinking and the Business Model Canvas.
In partnership with
Recipients
Ca' Foscari CLabs are open to:
- Ca’ Foscari undergraduate student;
- Ca’ Foscari postgraduate students;
- Ca’ Foscari graduated;
- Other Universities undergraduate, postgraduate and graduated students;
- High school students and Italian technical institutions (ITS) students;
Admission to single laboratories is defined via call for admission, which regulate the contents and organisation of the laboratory, application procedure and selection criteria.
Teaching methods
Group innovation methodology developed by the d.School of Stanford University. It promotes creativity and collaboration between disciplines and encourage the exploration and reformulation of problems starting from people's needs, fostering empathy and creative trust to overcome the failure.
The difference from the usual creative process (problem > idea > solution) is the attitude itself towards the design and creation phase. The focus is on the word "thinking", highlighting the fact that every project comes out to respond to a human need. It is therefore a process focused on the person (human-centered), on his/her needs and on the solutions that are devised.
Business Model
It describes how a company earns and makes profits. The business model outlines the logic behind the value of a company, i.e. the strategy that the entrepreneur develops to make a profit by providing value to his customers. According to the standard definition, the business model "describes the logic of how an organization creates, distributes and captures value". This definition is by Alexander Osterwalder, creator of the Business Model Canvas, a strategic model used for the creation and development of business model. Basically, it is a visual template that shows the infrastructure, products, customers, suppliers and other elements that identify a company. The business model can be easily build up using the business model canvas, a visual framework presented by Alexander Osterwalder that identifies the 9 key elements of the business model.
- Business Model Kit - from Board of Innovation
This tool allows to create models and visualise the relationships at the basis of the new project proposal.
Social research
Dissemination of the basics of social research on consumption: theories on the subject, concrete examples of research and a synthesis of the qualitative-quantitative methodologies that can be used. To follow, field research both to test what was said in the first part and to find useful data for the proposals of the students, who are called to define personas and consumption contexts in order to support their project proposal.
Marketing
Techniques and approaches theme-oriented for each laboratory, for effective communication of projects.
Effective communication skills: Storytelling and Public Speaking
Communicating effectively means knowing how to express yourself in every situation with any interlocutor both verbally and non-verbally (facial expressions, voice and posture), clearly and consistently with the message we want to convey.
Public speaking is the discipline that provides a speaker with communication tools and strategies to present concepts in front of an audience in a clear and effective way.
Storytelling is a form of communication with very ancient origins. In fact, first oral and then in written form, man has used it for millennia to pass on stories, knowledge, memories and traditions. Storytelling is the art of telling by enriching the narration with details and emotions in order to fully involve those who are listening or reading you. Also used at a corporate level, it allows, for example, to communicate in an exciting way with your customers, make yourself known, communicate your mission effectively or advertise your brand in the best possible way.
Testimonial
“The CLab is a journey, made up of stages and surprises. A unique opportunity for individual and collective growth. A path that opens the mind, encourages the imagination and helps to turn shared dreams and desires into reality. The CLab is training and education, a bridge between the theoretical world of university and the practicalities of life. Personally, I feel deeply enriched by this experience. I take with me an even greater desire to put myself out there, to believe in my abilities and to build, together with extraordinary people, an alternative future to the narrative of resignation that the world all too often seems to present to us.”
Davide Lorenzo Bignotti, partecipant in CLab Planner for ACTION
“If someone had told me that young people with such diverse educational and personal backgrounds, interests and experiences would come together to work on a single major project, I would probably have thought it was the perfect recipe for disaster. Instead, the CLab is living proof that this kind of collaboration is not only possible but highly desirable. The experience showed me first-hand that working together is not a limitation but a source of strength, and that different ways of thinking can find common ground and create something meaningful. Taking part in the CLab means learning to think and work as a team. It also means pursuing your own idea while remaining open to other people’s perspectives and proposals, because the true outcome ultimately emerges from the group. This experience taught me to listen actively, to conduct research in innovative ways, and to use tools that give shape to ideas and help manage complexity. It also taught me that every decision entails responsibility and that, when developing a project, it is essential never to lose sight of the bigger picture. The CLab was both a personal and a team challenge. It helped me understand that genuine innovation arises from the cross-pollination of diverse perspectives, and that teamwork is possible only when we learn to make room for one another and recognise the value of every individual contribution.”
Annachiara Banzoli, participant in CLab Board Member for ACTION
“The lab delivered by CLab Musei+ gave me the opportunity to engage with new organisations and perspectives. It was an extremely valuable learning experience, both in terms of the human side of teamwork among students and the support provided by our excellent tutors. Taking part in an active learning lab means challenging yourself and listening to other people’s ideas and opinions, with the aim of creating something valuable for the university and local communities. Through this experience, I learnt concepts, methods and tools that were useful not only during the lab but also applicable in everyday life and the workplace. The experience gave me so much: I met wonderful people, and I would do it again a thousand times.”
Lucrezia Silvera, participant in CLab Musei+
Concluded laboratories
Call for Ideas Venice Youth ACTION and CLab Planner for ACTION
- Duration and dates: 8 weeks (29 April–25 June 2026)
- Workload: 150 hours
- Objective: Venice Youth ACTION is a social innovation project conceived and promoted by Fondazione di Venezia and co-designed with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari. It aims to generate value across the Metropolitan City of Venice by involving younger residents in a training programme that empowers them to participate actively in decision-making and governance processes.The main objective of this second lab, CLab Planner for ACTION, was to accelerate the projects selected through the Call for Ideas. The call was developed by the Board Members during the first phase of the project, in which they participated in CLab Board Member for ACTION. It invited groups of young people, working in partnership with local non-profit organisations, to submit a project or initiative capable of generating a positive social impact. Proposals had to address at least one of four key themes considered essential to strengthening local communities and envisioning sustainable and inclusive development.
- In collaboration with: Fondazione di Venezia.
- Projects selected for acceleration:
- Quarta Parete Live – A podcast on the craft of filmmaking: a live podcast exploring the craft of filmmaking with guests from the industry, recorded in front of an audience and distributed on streaming platforms. In collaboration with: Freskyn Film.
- NUOVE RIVE x IN LAGUNA FILM FESTIVAL 2026: development of a public programme comprising two initiatives held alongside INLFF 2026: an audiovisual workshop for children exploring perspectives on the lagoon and its audiovisual history; and a series of screenings and discussions with an international guest reflecting on contemporary issues. In collaboration with: Rete Cinema in Laguna.
- Venice Open Stage Rising Theatre Festival – Opening Night and “Pistilli” talks: spoken-word poetry performances for the opening of the 2026 Venice Open Stage festival, together with three talks featuring artists and cultural professionals on poetry, festival organisation and environmental sustainability. In collaboration with: Cantieri Teatrali Veneziani Cultural Association (Ca.Te.Ve.).
- Campo – Mapping sports facilities and vacant urban spaces to be reactivated through sport in Venice: the project promotes Venice’s sports and community spaces through a participatory digital map. Users can report maintenance requirements and propose events. It also includes the installation of first-aid kits to help foster a healthy and inclusive community. In collaboration with: Sant’Elena Amateur Sports Association (A.S.D.).
Ca’ Foscari CLab Board Member for ACTION
- Duration and dates: 8 weeks (30 October–11 December 2025)
- Workload: 150 hours
- Objective: Venice Youth ACTION is a social innovation project conceived and promoted by Fondazione di Venezia and co-designed with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari. It aims to generate value across the Metropolitan City of Venice by involving younger residents in a training programme that empowers them to participate actively in decision-making and governance processes. During this first lab, CLab Board Member for ACTION, participants co-designed a Call for Ideas, defined its strategic guidelines and selected the innovative projects to receive funding, directing resources towards the areas with the greatest potential impact on the local community.
- In collaboration with: Fondazione di Venezia.
CLab Crafting San Marco: San Marco Factory, San Basso Workshop
- Duration and dates: 1 week (17 September–10 October 2025)
- Workload: 42 hours
- Objective: The Crafting San Marco CLab supported the Procuratoria di San Marco’s plan to transform the Ateneo San Basso, a building near St Mark’s Basilica, into a multifunctional visitor centre. The space was conceived as an information, exhibition and retail hub that would prepare visitors for a deeper understanding of the Basilica—not simply as a tourist attraction, but as a place of spirituality and worship with a rich religious history.
- In collaboration with: Procuratoria di San Marco, as part of the Innovation Ecosystem – Interconnected North-East Innovation Ecosystem (iNEST) project.
- Award-winning team and project: Team 2, Il nucleo – “Transforming San Basso”. The team’s concept arose from a desire to bring greater meaning and awareness to the experience of visiting St Mark’s Basilica. Its proposal transformed San Basso from a simple transit space into a welcoming orientation centre: an environment preparing visitors to understand the Basilica’s tangible and intangible heritage through interactive and visual installations and multimedia storytelling.Visitors would be able to explore the history, art and craftsmanship of the Fabbrica di San Marco in an accessible and engaging way. The project aimed to immerse and inspire them through knowledge, emotion and active participation, turning their visit into an experiential journey that fosters greater awareness.
Partner
Last update: 25/08/2026