After three years of preparation, the international conference combining ECHA and IGMCG will finally take place during Midsummer week. The conference is held at Sundsta-Älvkullegymnasiet in Karlstad and brings together participants from around the world to explore inclusive education for gifted children.
ECHA and IGMCG usually organise their own separate conferences on a rotating basis. The thematic ECHA conference is organised for the fourth time and the IGMCG conference for the fourteenth time. The larger ECHA conferences have been held since the 80s. Now, in 2025, the two organisations join forces in Karlstad. The conference has two tracks and turns to stakeholders involved in inclusive education of gifted children and pupils, giftedness in general, as well as having a special focus on mathematics through IGMCG. The event is co-organised by Karlstad University, Karlstad Municipality, ECHA (European Council for High Ability), and IGMCG (International Group for Mathematical Creativity and Giftedness).
Valerie Margrain, professor of educational work at Karlstad University and representative of ECHA, and Elisabet Mellroth, senior lecturer in mathematics at Karlstad University and representative of IGMCG, are the main project leaders.
"It’s truly exciting to welcome over 200 people to Karlstad from all over the world to share groundbreaking research and initiatives in the field of gifted education, says Valerie Margrain. Karlstad University and its partners are very proud of the new research development that is based on an inclusive Swedish context. The conference and the networking opportunities will help us ensure sustainability in this area of research. A classroom or group that supports excellence in education is something that benefits everyone."
"I’ve participated in ECHA and IGMCG conferences since 2014 and have long observed how these organisations overlap in their mission to improve education for gifted children and pupils, says Elisabet Mellroth. I’m really looking forward to engaging in interesting conversations, discussions and knowledge sharing."
The conference combining ECHA and IGMCG will be held 16–18 June at Sundsta-Älvkullegymnasiet in Karlstad.
The project group at Karlstad University consists of Valerie Margrain (chair ECHA), Elisabet Mellroth (chair IGMCG), Felicia Augustsson, Charlotta Lindvall, Caroline Sims, Attila Szabo and Mirela Vinerean Bernhoff.
More information about the conference
The European Council for High Ability (ECHA) aims to advance the study and development of potential excellence in people. One of the main goals of ECHA is to act as a communications network to promote the exchange of information among people interested in high ability – educators, researchers, psychologists, parents and the highly able themselves. Using a scientific approach, ECHA supports the professionalisation of the educational field and assistance for children and (young) adults with high ability.
The history of IGMCG dates back to 1999 when Hartwig Meissner organised an international conference on creativity and mathematics education in Muenster, Germany. The purpose of the group is to bring together mathematics educators, mathematicians, researchers, and others who are interested in nurturing and supporting the development of mathematical creativity and the realisation of mathematical promise and mathematical giftedness, promoting the improvement of teaching and learning mathematics, and widening students’ abilities to apply mathematical knowledge in innovative and creative ways.
