The work “ODSERVA: towards a new era of sustainability education through virtual reality”, carried out by a team led by the ARTEC group at the Institute on Robotics and Information and Communications Technologies (IRTIC), has received the Education and Science Award as part of the prestigious José Pérez de Lama Awards, within the framework of the 1st Ibero-American Congress on Digital Creation and Manufacturing (CREFAD 2026).
The ODServa 3.0 project consists of an innovative virtual reality (VR) experience in which, through an interactive video game, university students can explore the global challenges set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, ODS in Spanish) in an immersive way and contribute to a more sustainable future. The current version of the initiative is running from this year until April 2027.
The University of Valencia is coordinating the project through the ARTEC group and is leading the work to develop the technology used, integrate artificial intelligence and oversee general coordination, whilst the University of La Laguna is contributing its expertise through workshops on sustainability and the SDGs, and is leading the regional implementation in the Canary Islands.
Furthermore, the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) is collaborating on the aforementioned technological development; the Spanish Volunteering Platform, in relation to volunteering, the third sector and co-creation when planning initiatives; ONCE, CERMI and CNSE on accessibility; and the Network of University Chairs in Sustainability, vocational training centres and secondary schools in the field of education.
In ODServa, players are immersed in virtual reality scenarios linked to the 17 SDGs. Each mini-game presents scenarios such as repairing cracks in a dam to prevent water wastage, removing sexist slogans from a wall, detecting a harmful substance in the water to find out what happens as it flows down a river, and helping to build a secondary school by laying bricks in a wall, in order to test pupils’ knowledge and teach them how to apply the SDGs in everyday life.
ODServa has been present at VR gaming booths and has run in-person workshops at the University of La Laguna. The initiative is funded by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda.
Webpage: https://odserva.uv.es/
