The Universitat Jaume I, through the research group "Visualización Interactiva” [Interactive Visualisation] of the Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT), coordinates the e-DIPLOMA project approved by the European Commission within the framework of the European Union's top research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe. e-DIPLOMA, which will be directed by Dr. Inmaculada Remolar, director of the INIT, has the main objective of developing a new e-learning platform that will combine virtual reality, artificial intelligence, interactive technologies, chatbots and gamification. This project is the result of the Research Promotion Plan of the Universitat Jaume I launched by the Vice-Rector’s Office for Research and Transfer of the UJI.

The e-DIPLOMA project, formed by nine international entities, is endowed with 3 million euros for the next three years and will start from 1 September 2022. The UJI leads the international consortium formed by the University of Tallinn (Estonia), the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), Innogrowth-European Association for Innovation and Growth (Bulgaria), the CSI Centre for Social Innovation (Cyprus), the training and research cooperative ARIS (Italy) and the company Brainstorm Multimedia (Spain). The Universitat Jaume I-Business Foundation of the Valencian Community also participates in the project as a partner entity of the UJI, to support the dissemination and communication activities of the project.

In the first phase, the Horizon Europe e-DIPLOMA project will examine the strengths and weaknesses of the current European e-learning ecosystem, as well as the benefits of the latest technologies for online training, especially in experiential learning. e-DIPLOMA will analyse the usefulness of disruptive technologies to support education and training systems, specifically in practical distance learning and, therefore, the project focuses its analysis on the training levels of practical pre-university education and higher education.

In the second phase of the project, following a co-creation methodology, it will be determined which technologies are the most suitable for dealing with different types of educational methodologies.

In the third phase, the platform to be developed in e-DIPLOMA will host three educational modules that will integrate artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, interactive technologies and gamification techniques, and pilot experiences will be carried out in different countries so that cultural aspects can be taken into account when assessing the results obtained.

Finally, in the fourth phase of the project, based on the results obtained previously, the e-learning platform developed will be redesigned and redefined.

In a transversal way, the use of these new technologies and the digitalisation of training will also be studied in terms of inclusion, accessibility and sustainability. To this end, an e-learning environment will be created that will avoid raising new inequalities between people and even countries. e-DIPLOMA will investigate the potential, opportunities, barriers, accessibility and risks of the use of emerging technologies for education, in order to support the digital transformation from the understanding of the social, ethical, political and economic impacts of digital practices. Another of the fundamental pillars of the project is the adequate training of teaching staff in relation to new educational technologies.

The e-DIPLOMA project is supported by partners such as Castelló Provincial Council (Spain), CECAP Valencia-Asociación Empresarial de Centros de Formación de Valencia (Spain), Finnovaregio (Belgium), RESET-Research and Education for Empowerment and Social Transformation (Cyprus), Florida Centro de Formación (Spain), Estonian Board of Education and Youth, IES Álvaro Falomir (Spain), Regional League of Cooperatives and Mutuals of Umbria (Italy), Satori Labs (France), János Neumann Computer Science Society (Hungary), Sofia University of Technology (Bulgaria), Professor Doctor Asen Zlatarov University (Bulgaria), Bulgarian-German Vocational Training Centre (Bulgaria) and the company Senseglove (The Netherlands).

In addition, the study and results of the e-DIPLOMA project will be supported by the international expert committee composed of Vladislav Slavov, vice-dean of the Sofia University of Technology (Bulgaria), Marini Catiuscia, head of the European Office of the Department of Policy, Training, Employment and International at Legacoop Umbria (Italy), Ülle Must, director of Development at the Estonian Board of Education and Youth, Dr Tobias Ley, professor at the Danube University Krems and the University of Tallinn and Dr Frédéric Mertens de Wilmars, expert and lecturer in European and Gender Issues with extensive experience in higher education. It brings together leading professionals who will work to create a new paradigm for online learning, and to increase the resilience of the educational world linked to the digital transformation.