- Funded by ERASMUS+, Sherlock brings together European universities in Valencia to promote data literacy and evidence-based decision-making.
- Aimed at university students, lecturers and young professionals, it introduces an innovative approach to teaching survey methodology.
The university partners of the SHERLOCK Project (Survey Higher Education Research – Learning through Online Collaboration & Knowledge), funded by the European Union, met in person on 9 and 10 March at the Palacio de Colomina in Valencia. The project, developed by an international consortium that includes CEU UCH and aimed at university students, lecturers and young professionals, introduces an innovative approach to teaching survey methodology through branching digital learning and strengthened international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The lecturers from the CEU UCH Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Francisco Suay and María Pilar García, welcomed the 16 participants to the meeting and, during the first day, the consortium—made up of teaching staff and researchers from several European universities—officially presented the project logo, designed by student Adrián Sanmiguel, who received an award in recognition of his creative work.
One of the milestones of the meeting was the presentation of the benchmarking report on training platforms in marketing and market research, prepared by lecturer Gabriel Ravello, which concludes that there are two main groups of software (those oriented towards marketing and those oriented towards statistical research). After a detailed analysis by lecturer Paco Suay, one of the most successful American simulations on the market was presented.
On the second day, the focus was on the case study of Kipsta, a Decathlon brand specialising in football boots for young people, with the aim of designing activities that would enable students to analyse how to retain and foster the loyalty of the 15 to 25-year-old target group. The team jointly redefined the tasks in the case and distributed the development of new case studies among the partner institutions.
In a third session, a conclusions workshop was held with consultant Arturo Gimenez from the firm Orange Thinking, using the LEGO Serious Play methodology to enhance the learning experience in market research in international contexts.
Funded for three years under the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships programme, the SHERLOCK project aims to redefine the teaching of survey methodology in Europe. Coordinated by IAE Savoie Mont-Blanc, the project consortium brings together an international alliance formed by TH Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, HOWEST University of Applied Sciences, HEG Geneva (HES-SO), CEU Cardenal Herrera University and the Bratislava University of Economics and Business (EUBA), with the French company SPHINX participating as an associate partner.
Through this initiative, SHERLOCK promotes data literacy, AI-supported learning and evidence-based decision-making, aligning with European strategic priorities and strengthening the connection between academic theory and professional practice.
Upcoming programme dates
Finally, the next milestones were agreed: a meeting at USMB in Annecy (19–23 October 2026) to present draft cases to students, and a further meeting of the researchers at Howest University in Bruges on 24 June.
During the informal moments built into the programme, participants also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Valencia’s Fallas atmosphere, enjoying local gastronomy and the mascletà fireworks display.
