European Project Semester (EPS)

Client?

VLIR-UOS: an organization that supports partnerships between on the one hand Flemish universities or universities of applied sciences and arts and on the other hand institutions for higher education in the Global South in the common search for answers to global and local challenges.

CONTEXT?

Are you ready to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time? We are on the lookout for bright minds who are eager to explore the complex relationship between technology, digitalization, and climate change.

GOAL?

In our groundbreaking project, we are not just studying the impact of technology on the climate—we are seeking ways to innovate responsibly. Our aim is to develop informational products that provide guidance on how to innovate and digitalize and use technology in a responsible way to foster a sustainable future.

This project is more than an academic pursuit; it's a platform for you to become a pioneer in understanding how to create technologies that respects and protects our environmental boundaries.

If you are ready to contribute to a meaningful transformation where technology and ecology align, join us.

Let's design the future together.

FOR WHOM?

Students with a heart for, and a study background in

• ICT-Electronics and/or Applied informatics
• Design (Graphical and Digital Media, Interaction design, Product design, Art): designing, prototyping, conceptual thinking, storytelling, etc.
• Teacher Training
• Applied Psychology
• Product Development
• PR & advertising
• Communications
• Climate Sciences
• …

Client? 

Handicap International, an international non-governmental organisation known for its fight against anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. Handicap International prevents disabilities (through training, awareness-raising campaigns, etc.), supports people with disabilities and enables them to participate fully in society.

Context?

In order to make young people between 14 and 18 years of age aware of disabilities in their many facets and the need for social inclusion, Handicap International intends to develop an innovative training module tailored to these target groups. This module will also enable young people to learn more about the specific approach of Handicap International, an organisation that was co-founder of the International Campaign against Landmines and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Goal?

Conceptualise and create – building on the result of a previous EPS team – a prototype of a digital ‘escape game’ that promotes, in an innovative and playful way, youngster’s learning on themes that are central to Handicap International's mission and vision (prevention of disabilities, support for people with disabilities, full participation in social life by people with disabilities, etc.).

As an EPS team you develop learning content that is adapted to the target groups. You develop a storyline, game scenarios and characters that appeal to the imagination of young people. The graphic design and technological conceptualisation lead to a prototype that a next generation of EPS students and Handicap International can further develop.

For whom?

Students with a  heart for, and a study background in

• ICT-Electronics and/or Applied informatics
• Design (Graphical and Digital Media, Interaction design, Product design, Art): designing, prototyping, conceptual thinking, storytelling, etc.
• Teacher Training
• Occupational Therapy
• Applied Psychology
• Social Eductional Care Work
• Product Development
• Etc.

Client?

AP's Immersive Lab

Context and goal?

"A movie that gives one sight and sound... I make it so that you are in the story, you speak to the shadows, and the shadows reply, and instead of being on a screen, the story is all about you, and you are in it. Would that be to make real a dream?"    
_{From: Pygmalion's Spectacles, Stanley G. Weinbaum, 1935}  

In this EPS-project, you will create immersive experiences (VR, AR, MR, …) to tackle contemporary issues such as climate heating and biodiversity loss. With the support of the Immersive Lab, you will research innovative possibilities to develop these experiences: immersive storytelling, multisensoriality, embodiment and generative AI.

We need an interdisciplinary team to address this goal: IT developers, AI engineers, storytellers, artists, (prompt) engineers, designers, 3D-modelers, user researchers, climate scientists, biologists, communication specialists, and more. 
Join us into a sustainable future, where virtual bodies and artificial minds meet.

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in

• ICT-Electronics
• AI Engineers
• Storytelling
• Arts
• Graphical and Media Design
• 3D-Modelling
• Marketing
• Engineering
• Product Development
• Climate Sciences
• Communication
• …

Client?

Ann Debeuf and the ‘Responsible Design’ AP research team of the department Media, Design & IT.

Context?

Sustainable graphic design is the way forward. Use your creativity for good!

Did it cross your mind that design might have something to do with the environment? Have you ever heard of Sustainable Graphic Design? As environmental problems become more serious, sustainable graphic design becomes more popular, at last.

And if you think digital is always less polluting than print, think again. Since digital is often overlooked in sustainability, this will be our focus.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to sacrifice sustainability for your creativity or vice versa. Sustainability is just one co-pilote in your design process, amongst other.

Goal?

Think big on how to create an eco-friendly website (or an app, animation, …) and how this works in practice. In team, you will gather clear information on what affects the final CO2-emissions of a website or any online interaction, for that matter.

Think further than technical facts as hosting, the role of equipment, the work environment, … Consider for example human behaviour or human incentives for making other choices.

Think very broad before choosing a focus.

The creative and most challenging part is how to spread the message. What is the best way to communicate your findings to other web developers, designers and future designers, companies, … Will you try your tips and tricks on your own website? Or is there a better way to promote your green findings?

The results of your project can be spread in the creative industry and can be used in design schools all over Europe.

Your team will continue to work on the excellent result of a previous EPS team.

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in:

• IT / programming / hosting
• Applied Informatics
• Graphical and Digital Media
• Graphic & Web Design
• Product Development
• ICT-Electronics
• Communication
• Psychology (human behaviour)

Client

‘Logo Antwerpen’ is a local multi-stakeholder consultation platform where health is central.

On behalf of the Flemish government, Logo Antwerpen contributes to the realization of the Flemish health objectives at local level:

• More people in motion and with a healthy weight
• Fewer smokers, drug and alcohol users
• More resilient people
• Fewer accidents in the private sphere
• More people participating in cancer population screenings
• A high-quality vaccination policy in Flanders

Context?

Despite the fact that the right to health is enshrined in the Belgian constitution and in numerous international human rights treaties, this right appears to be far from guaranteed, especially for people with a lower social status (educational level, opportunities on the labour market, income level, etc.).

One of the causes that contribute to a relatively more unhealthy lifestyle of socially disadvantaged groups is the fact that awareness campaigns are not yet sufficiently geared to these hard-to-reach target groups.

Goal?

How can immersive technologies contribute in a creative way to raising awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, more specifically to raising awareness aimed at socio-economically disadvantaged groups in our society? That is the challenge for this team of EPS students who also use the technological knowledge built up in AP's Immersive Lab for this challenging objective.

Your team will continue to work on the excellent result of a previous EPS team.

For whom?

Students with a heart for and a study background in

• Health Sciences
• ICT-Electronics and/or Applied informatics
• Design (Graphical and Digital Media, Interaction design, Product design, Art): designing, prototyping, conceptual thinking, storytelling, etc.
• Social Work
• Applied Psychology
• Social Educational Care Work
• Product Development
• Etc.

CLIENT?

The client of this project is Plan International Belgium, founded in 1937, Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. The non-governmental organisation strives for a just world, working together with children, young people, supporters and partners.

In 2019, Plan International was active in 77 countries. 21,6 million girls and 18,9 million boys were reached by the NGO’s work.

CONTEXT?

According to the United Nations, gender equality is ‘the unfinished business of our time’. 

UN Women: “Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development. Moreover, it has been shown that empowering women spurs productivity and economic growth”.

“Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality of rights and opportunities between men and women”, warns UN Women. “Therefore, it is of paramount importance to end the multiple forms of gender violence and secure equal access to quality education and health, economic resources and participation in political life for both women and girls and men and boys. It is also essential to achieve equal opportunities in access to employment and to positions of leadership and decision-making at all levels”.

These are the reasons why the NGO Plan International makes gender equality and gender justice an absolute priority in its global operations.
 

GOAL?

With this EPS team you will gain knowledge about gender equality and gender justice. You will also learn to develop strategies to use the acquired knowledge to take social action.

With your team you will develop an awareness tool that increases awareness of the global importance of gender equality and gender justice. The technological competencies present in the team of students will form the starting point for the development of this tool that should have the ambition to appeal to the imagination of many. 

FOR WHOM?

Students with a heart for, and a study background in

• Teacher Training
• Pedagogy
• Social Work
• Social Educational Care Work
• ICT-Electronics
• Graphical and Digital Media
• Product Design and Product Development
• Marketing and Business Development
• Etc.