READY, IMMERSE AND GO! Project kick-off meeting in Nice

In October 2023, a first gathering of the RIGO project members took place at the leading Université Côte d’Azur in the picturesque city of Nice, France. The kickoff event was strategically orchestrated to acquaint participants with the overarching objectives, planned activities, and budgeting of the RIGO project. The meeting provided a platform for the formal introduction of the diverse teams involved, creating a deeper understanding of the collective expertise and contributions each team brings to the collaborative effort.

The European Commission has awarded 400,000 euro to the RIGO project, an
Erasmus+ action aimed at making the international mobility experience more
accessible via virtual reality scenarios. The core project outcome will be the
RIGO VR platform. Hosting immersive virtual scenarios, the platform will be
designed to simultaneously reduce barriers to international mobility and hone
the skills needed for navigating a global, digital world. Acting as a satellite for
Ulysseus, the RIGO platform is set to amplify participation in various mobility
experiences, enhancing employability for students and educators alike.

The project was presented by four of the Ulysseus European University partners to the Commission, namely the University Côte d’Azur, the Management Centre Innsbruck (MCI), the University of Applied Sciences Haaga-Helia and the Technical University of Košice. The initiative aims at making a valuable contribution to the European Commission’s overarching priorities, most importantly by empowering people with new technologies and by promoting our European way of life with more accessible international mobility.

The project will be organized around the following key work packages:

Project Management

The lead partner of the RIGO project is the Université Côte d’Azur. The experienced team in France will coordinate and monitor all activities. The goal is to assure both the project quality and seamless collaboration among the partners.

Co-creation Process

In a co-creative workshop setting between students and educators, challenging situations, insecurities and hurdles to undertaking an international mobility experience will be identified. Lead by the Haaga-Helia University in Finland, the co-creation workshops are designed to carve out relevant scenarios to be then transformed into online VR setting.

Creating and implementing the VR platform

Experts from the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia, will then design, structure and technically implement the VR platform hosting the set of virtual immersive scenarios resulting from the co-creation workshops.

Dissemination & Communication

MCI Management Center Innsbruck in Austria will steer strategic communication and dissemination efforts. The promotion of the RIGO immersive online platform seeks to enhance transparency and ensure that all endeavors and achievements of the project are effectively communicated to the target audience.

Launching in September 2023, the 36-month project promises an exciting digital transformation for partner universities, leveraging innovative learning practices with VR technology. Beyond enhancing digital skills, the project tackles inclusion and diversity in education, facilitating the preparation of students who, due to socio-economic or physical constraints, have been deprived of international experiences. The RIGO project welcomes a digital future of inclusive international mobility. Follow our transformative journey!

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus Alliance vision for 2030 is to develop an excellency-recognized and internationally attractive open to the world, persons-centred and entrepreneurial European University for the citizens of the future. By doing so, our ambition is to contribute to shape the European Higher Education and Research Areas, and hence the future of Europe.

Ulysseus is one of the 50 European Universities selected by the European Commission to become the universities of the future. Led by the University of Seville together with seven other universities in Europe (the University of Genoa, Italy; Université Côte d’Azur, France; the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia; MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, Austria; Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland; the University of Münster, Germany; and the University of Montenegro, Montenegro), the project will allow students, researchers and graduates to move freely between universities, carry out internships in companies and start high-impact research projects.