The welfare sector in Finland cannot maintain the current level of services without the innovative and widespread use of new technologies. Finland is aging, the risk of social exclusion is increasing, general health is declining, and mental health issues are on the rise. At the same time, funding is insufficient to provide high-quality services, and there is also a labor shortage.
One promising solution identified is the next wave of digitalization, the Metaverse, which refers to an immersive, three-dimensional, and multi-sensory virtual environment. The core technologies of the Metaverse include extended reality, artificial intelligence, and wearable technology.
1.4.2025–30.6.2027
Project funding:
Etelä-Savon elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus
Uudistuva ja osaava Suomi 2021–2027
EU:n alue- ja rakennepolitiikan ohjelma
Euroopan aluekehitysrahasto (EAKR)
LUT
LAB
UEF
Savonia
Goals
The project involves innovating new metaverse-based welfare services through experimental development and prototyping. The users of the new services include, among others, the elderly, youth, and individuals with disabilities, whose mental and physical well-being will be improved by the services.
An example of a service being innovated in the project is community-based sport and art activities for disabled people in a metaverse environment. The project also innovates metaverse-based self-service solutions to enhance citizens' autonomy in maintaining and improving their own well-being.
The service prototypes with the highest business potential are called innovation blanks/preforms, which companies should consider further developing and commercializing alongside or after the project. It is important to note that some of the prototypes can be tested by anyone.
The project measures and evaluates the benefits and effectiveness of the innovated welfare services. This combines the project implementers' experience in research methods and wearable measurement technology.
The project also includes a series of workshops, open to all companies interested in the project's theme. Additionally, a guide will be created for innovating metaverse-based welfare services that utilize artificial intelligence. The project's results will be reported in webinars and in Finnish and international publications.
The project implementation team consists of LUT University and LAB University of Applied Sciences in the South Karelia and Päijät-Häme regions, as well as the University of Eastern Finland and Savonia University of Applied Sciences in North Savo. The project also has six international university partners from three different continents. One of the outcomes will be the creation of an international R&D network that will continue to solve global problems using metaverse technologies.
Contact information
Partners
- Validia, Merivaara, Pihla Group, Hiava ja Norlandia Care
- Itä-Suomen yliopisto, LAB ja Savonia
- Brno University of Technology, University of Amsterdam, University of Namibia, Taylors University, FEU Institute of Technology ja Constructor University Bremen