Updates

The Zero Project is a global, research-driven initiative to advance the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Over the past decade, the Zero Project has identified and awarded more than 1,000 innovative solutions worldwide, while also building a global network of over 10,000 practitioners, policymakers, corporates, academics, and self-representatives with and without disabilities.

Martin Essl, Founder of the Essl Foundation and Initiator of the Zero Project, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Okayama University. The recognition highlights his global commitment to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities through international cooperation and innovation.

For the first time, a speech in the Austrian Parliament will be delivered using an AI-generated voice. Member of Parliament Klaus Fürlinger was supported by the Zero Project, and inspired by the #ZeroCon25 Parliament Event in March 2025.

The Zero Project is delighted to announce and share the Zero Project Awardees of 2026: 75 innovative solutions from 51 countries. In addition, 7 inclusive arts initiatives become the first cohort of designated Zero Project Arts Awardees.

This November, over 20 delegates from more than 10 countries gathered in India for a series of events to strengthen regional collaboration and scale innovative solutions across India and beyond. Under the umbrella of Zero Project India, the week enabled exchange between global and regional experts across multiple sectors.

In a charity challenge organized by Austria’s Rotary Club Wien-Nordost, over 317 participants walked “around the world” in October, raising a travel fund of €40,000 to support the Zero Project in bringing Awardees from the Global South to the Zero Project Conference 2026.