Published On: September 8, 2026

Collaboration Type: Research Collaboration

Topic: NextGen-BioLab: Integrating Hybrid VR Simulations and LIMS Workflows for Cross-Border Medical Laboratory Education

Contact person: Elisabeth Ersvær, PhD

Email: elisabeth.ersvar@inn.no

University: University of Inland Norway /Norway

Faculty - Department: Fakultet for anvendt økologi, landbruk og bioteknologi

Subject Area:

Collaboration Short Description:

The Vision:

Modern medical laboratory science requires strong digital literacy, yet student training remains heavily bound by physical lab capacities, expensive reagents, and geographic boundaries. We propose to develop and test a hybrid virtual education framework that blends:

  • 2D-Screen VR & Full Immersive VR (Headsets): Allowing students to practice sterile techniques, emergency protocols, and instrument troubleshooting safely in e.g. Clinical Biochemistry, Hematology, and Medical Microbiology.
  • LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) Integration: Ensuring students don’t just push buttons in VR, but actively manage the digital data flow—handling quality control rules, clinical flags, and diagnostic reporting.

A digital laboratory internship allows students across borders to collaboratively manage realistic diagnostic workflows, mastering both manual biomedical techniques in VR and data handling in a LIMS without physical border constraints.

 

Why Partner with Us?

By joining this proposal, our institutions will co-create a cutting-edge “Green Lab” curriculum that perfectly aligns with the EMERGE evaluation criteria:

  1. Strategic Alignment: Directly addresses Cluster 2 (Digital Transition) and Cluster 3 (Resilience & Wellbeing / SDG 3).
  2. Resource Equity: Equalizes student access to high-end laboratory environments across all EMERGE regions, regardless of local physical setups.
  3. Future Funding Momentum: This €10,000 pilot will serve as a concrete seed project to apply for larger Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges or Horizon Europe grants in 2027/2028.

 

What We Are Looking For:

We are seeking partners who are passionate about biomedical laboratory science, healthcare innovation, or digital education tools. Your team would contribute to shaping the educational cases, testing the workflows with students, or sharing pedagogical insights.

Since proposals involving three or more EMERGE universities are viewed particularly favorably, your participation will significantly strengthen the application.

As the application deadline is November 15th, 2026, we would love to schedule a brief 15-minute TEAMS call to introduce ourselves, share the project brief, and discuss how we can align this with your department’s goals.