CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità

What CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità does

CeDisMa (Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità) is the dedicated research and training center of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore on disability, marginality, and inclusive education, headquartered in Milan with additional presence at the university's Piacenza and Brescia campuses. Established in 2000 and led by Director Prof. Luigi d'Alonzo (Ordinary Professor of Special Pedagogy and president of SIPeS), the center runs a portfolio of Level I University Master's programs — including autism pedagogy, classroom management, and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) — alongside shorter specialization courses, summer schools, and conferences targeted at teachers, support teachers, school administrators, and families across Italy.

The center's core technology and intellectual property consists of validated pedagogical instruments (Index for Inclusion, LBQ – Link Burnout Questionnaire, QBS 8-13, Sensory Checklists), the IN-AUT School self-assessment toolkit for autism inclusion, and a WebApp for Differentiated Didactics currently under development that is intended to act as an intelligent assistant guiding teachers through inclusive lesson design. Much of the underlying methodology is packaged into open-source digital materials and is backed by more than 40 years of accumulated research and publications with major Italian education publishers.

CeDisMa operates a hybrid business model that mixes tuition-bearing university programs at standard UCSC rates (often eligible for the public 'Carta del docente' subsidy), free publicly-funded training delivered as implementing partner for Regione Lombardia and FIA, grant-funded research activity via the IN-AUT School project and Erasmus+ / CUPID consortia, and consulting work executed through UCSC infrastructure. Its primary customers are individual teachers and educators in Italian schools (primary 'persona' segment), with secondary segments comprising families of students with disabilities, schools and educational institutions participating in territorial networks (Monza e Brianza province), and academic researchers in special education. Channel reach is concentrated in UCSC's institutional platforms, the professional development networks of Italian schools (USR, CTS/CTI, school polo institutions), SIPeS, and earned media.

Name

CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità

Legal name

CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità

Website

https://cedisma.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CeDisMa is the research and training center of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore that delivers university Master's programs, specialization courses, and research projects on disability and inclusive education for Italian teachers, schools, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Research and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Teacher Training & Professional Development (EDAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Specialized Inclusive / Co-Taught Special Education Programs (EDAKAAAK), Inclusive Assessment & Testing Accommodations Support (EDAKABAH), Special Education / Intervention & Differentiated Instruction Content Development (EDAGAKAO)

Keywords

• Special education research
• Inclusive education training
• Disability studies center
• Teacher professional development
• Augmentative alternative communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University Training Programs and Master's Courses: CeDisMa generates revenue through tuition fees for master's programs, specialization courses, and professional development training programs offered in collaboration with Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Programs include Master in Didattica e Psicopedagogia per alunni con disturbo dello spettro autistico, Master in Gestione della classe e comportamenti problematici a scuola, Master in Comunicazione Aumentativa Alternativa (CAA), and various specialization courses.
2. Summer School and Short Course Fees: Revenue generated from summer school programs, short-term training courses, and workshops. Examples include the Summer School on Differentiated Didactics and various online and in-person courses for teachers and educators.
3. Research Project Funding (FIA): The IN-AUT School project is funded by Fondo per l'Inclusione delle Persone con Disabilità (FIA), providing project-based funding for research activities in school inclusion for students with autism. The project runs from April 2025 to March 2027.
4. Regional Government Funded Training: Free training programs funded by Regione Lombardia, such as the Communication Assistant course for sensory disability, where CeDisMa acts as the implementing partner for publicly funded educational initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CeDisMa is an academic research and training center that develops, delivers, and disseminates applied research, postgraduate masters, professional courses, and summer schools focused on disability, social marginality, and inclusive education. Its sellable offerings are research projects (such as the 24-month In-Aut School study) and credentialed training programs (Masters in didactic and psychopedagogy for students with autism, in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, in classroom management, the Summer School on Didactic Differentiation, and the course for Communication Assistants for sensory disabilities). Target audiences are schools, teachers, and education professionals seeking evidence-based preparation for inclusive practice.

Product overview

CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità is a research center at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore that operates as a unified portfolio of educational programs and research projects rather than a traditional product company. The center's offerings include: In-Aut School (a flagship 24-month research project for autism inclusion), a WEBAPP for teaching differentiation (currently in development), university Master programs (in Autism, Classroom Management, and AAC), training courses (Communication Assistant for sensory disabilities), Summer School programs, and quality indicators for school inclusion. These products and services work together to form an integrated ecosystem supporting educational inclusion through research, training, and practical tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IN-AUT School: A 24-month research project dedicated to improving school inclusion for students with autism spectrum disorder, coordinated by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore through CeDisMa, involving 11 school branches in Monza e Brianza province.

Products and services

• Master in Didattica e Psicopedagogia per alunni con disturbo dello spettro autistico Postgraduate master program providing didactic and psychopedagogical training for educators and school professionals working with students on the autism spectrum.
• Master in Comunicazione Aumentativa Alternativa (CAA) Postgraduate master program training educators and professionals in Augmentative and Alternative Communication methods for students with complex communication needs.
• Master in Gestione della classe e comportamenti problematici a scuola Postgraduate master program preparing educators to manage classrooms and address challenging student behaviors in school settings.
• Summer School - La Differenziazione Didattica Short-format summer course for teachers and education professionals on didactic differentiation practices for inclusive classrooms.
• Corso per Assistente alla Comunicazione per la disabilità sensoriale visiva e uditiva Training course preparing communication assistants to support students with visual and auditory sensory disabilities in school contexts.
• In-Aut School (24-month research project) Applied 24-month research project on autism and school inclusion, delivered through CeDisMa in partnership with participating schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• IN-AUT School project targets: +25% in perceived quality of inclusion, +15% in school well-being of students and teachers, +20% in family and school involvement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• European Consortium (CUPID Project)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2024CeDisMa participates in the CUPID project (Cancer Understanding, Prevention and Intellectual Disability), a European initiative focused on cancer prevention for people with intellectual disabilities. Team members Ilaria Folci and Silvia Maggiolini attended the training school in Prague.
• Università Cattolica del Sacro CuorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCeDisMa is the research center of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, operating within the university's Faculty of Educational Sciences and Department of Pedagogy. The university provides institutional infrastructure, academic accreditation, and funding for programs. The center coordinates the IN-AUT School project under the scientific coordination of Prof. Luigi d'Alonzo.
• Scuola Polo per l'Inclusione G. Rodari di SeregnocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in the IN-AUT School project, serving as the territorial reference point for the entire provincial school system in Monza e Brianza. The school polo coordinates inclusion initiatives across 11 school buildings.
• Centro per l'Autismo Cascina San Vincenzo, ConcorezzocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the IN-AUT School project with a multidisciplinary team providing support to families and schools for the inclusion of students with autism.
• Fondazione Centro Benedetta D'IntinomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Master in Comunicazione Aumentativa Alternativa (CAA). Centro Benedetta D'Intino is the first center in Italy dedicated to the development and promotion of CAA, contributing specialized expertise and teaching faculty to the program.
• Erasmus+ Consortium (MOEC and LEBEL Projects)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCeDisMa coordinates the Erasmus+ KA2 project MOEC (More Opportunities for Every Child) and participates in the LEBEL project, both focused on early detection of difficulties in preschool children and emergency education for students with autism and intellectual disabilities.
• CBM Italia OnlusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBM Italia collaborated with CeDisMa on the first Italian research on 'Disability and Poverty in Italian Families,' presented at a conference at UCSC Milan.
• Fondazione ZancanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter with CBM Italia and Caritas Ambrosiana of the research on 'Disability and Poverty in Italian Families,' developed in collaboration with CeDisMa.
• Caritas AmbrosianaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CBM Italia, Fondazione Zancan, and CeDisMa on the first Italian research on disability and poverty in Italian families.
• SIPeS (Società Italiana di Pedagogia Speciale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCeDisMa director Prof. Luigi d'Alonzo is president of SIPeS. CeDisMa team members regularly contribute to SIPeS conferences, events, and publications.
• Ufficio Scolastico Regionale per la Lombardia (USRL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSRL transmitted the notice for the 'Autismo al femminile' conference organized under the IN-AUT School project, indicating institutional collaboration with regional school authorities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ANFFAS - Associazione Nazionale Famiglie di Persone con Disabilità Intellettiva e Relazionale: Large national Italian association serving people with intellectual and relational disabilities and their families. Comparable because it operates in the same disability-inclusion space across Italy with research, training, and policy advocacy, though at a much broader institutional scale.
• Giunti EDU: Italian educational publishing and training division with a substantial special-education and inclusion catalog. Comparable to CeDisMa as a larger incumbent providing teacher training content and assessment tools across Italian schools.
• INDIRE - Istituto Nazionale Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa: Italy's national institute for educational research and innovation, supporting schools on inclusion and teacher training. Comparable to CeDisMa as a publicly funded research and training entity operating in the same inclusive-education policy ecosystem.
• Pearson Italia: Italian arm of a global education publisher already partnering with CeDisMa on publications. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for the same teacher training and curriculum budgets at a national and international scale.

Direct peers

• Università di Bologna - Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione: Major Italian university department conducting research and offering postgraduate programs in special and inclusive education. Comparable to CeDisMa as another Italian academic unit publishing research and training teachers in inclusive pedagogy and disability studies.
• Erickson: Italy's leading publisher and training provider focused on special education, inclusion, and disabilities. Directly comparable to CeDisMa because it serves the same Italian teacher and school segments with research-backed content, assessment tools, and professional development programs.
• Fondazione Centro Benedetta D'Intino: Italy's first center dedicated to Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), co-developing CeDisMa's Master in CAA. Highly comparable as a niche Italian specialist organization operating at the intersection of disability, education, and clinical practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CeDisMaUC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cedisma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CeDisMa - Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla Disabilità e Marginalità