It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joost Groot Kormelink, a cherished member of the Open Education for a Better World (OE4BW) community and an exceptional mentor in our programme.
Joost was also a co-author of ASEF InnoLab7 White Paper coordinated by IRCAI, “Co-Creating SDG-Informed Open Education with Trusted AI Across the Asia-Europe Axis.” He worked on this paper with great enthusiasm and dedication throughout the spring and summer of 2026, contributing his valuable insights and expertise to our shared vision of advancing open education through responsible and trusted AI. His commitment to this work reflected his deep belief in the power of education, collaboration, and technology to create a better world.
Joost was a wonderful person whose kindness, dedication, and generosity touched the lives of many. As an OE4BW mentor, he generously shared his knowledge, experience, and encouragement, supporting developers in transforming their ideas into meaningful open educational resources.
His passing is a profound loss for the entire OE4BW and IRCAI community. His contributions to open education and, above all, the people he inspired and supported will remain an important part of his legacy.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
Thank you, Joost, for everything you gave to our community. You will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.
