We are FAU Innovators of the Year 2024
At this year’s Dies Academicus at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), our interdisciplinary collaboration with Sandra Jeleazcov from the University Hospital Erlangen on the use of gamification in science and patient communication was honored with the prestigious award “FAU Innovators 2024”.
Driven by the vision that digital games hold immense potential for healthcare, we have developed various gamification solutions and serious games over the past years. These initiatives aim to provide individuals, patients, and their families with a better understanding of chronic inflammatory diseases and modern therapeutic approaches. Examples include the jointly developed CARSLE VR app “Fighting Lupus,” a virtual reality application that educates patients about the autoimmune disease lupus, and the serious game Inflammania 3D on the popular gaming platform Roblox. These developments have received multiple awards, including the BrandEx Award for the best digital event and the German Prize for Online Communication in the Health & Social Affairs category. This fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals, information systems researchers, and communication experts impressed the selection committee.
We feel deeply honored by this award and the recognition it expresses for our work! A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who contributed to this success – dedicated students, doctoral candidates, medical professionals, corporate partners, and, of course, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, whose unique spirit of innovation and supportive ecosystem make such interdisciplinary collaborations possible.