As part of the German Online Platform for Biosecurity & Biosafety (GO4BSB) initiative, the Interdisciplinary Academy of Competence & Education for Global Health, in partnership with Studio Monstrum - a developer team for interactive works and digital experiences -, is creating a  virtual reality training experience to equip professionals for deploying mobile laboratories in outbreak settings, especially in resource-limited and challenging environments.

The priority learning objectives are:

• Gaining a basic understanding of mobile laboratory concepts and setup procedures (Module 1)
• Familiarizing with biosafety and biosecurity risks in a mobile laboratory setting (Module 2)
• Exploring operational workflows within a mobile laboratory in challenging environments (Demo Module 3)
   

Through the eVeeR project, we aim to exploring innovative learning strategies for training within virtual environments. Developed as a standalone, offline Unity application, a key objective is to design a modular, adaptable learning environment, allowing the VR application to evolve over time and integrate with other educational tools, such as hybrid outbreak simulations.

Potential user groups include initiatives and projects affiliated with the BNITM, such as EMLab, EAC Mobile Labs or MOBILISE. Additionally, the application is designed to be accessible to other user groups within the field. Beyond this, it aims to support science communication, and promote awareness and education.
 

Associated publications on the subject matter include:

1. Affara M, et al. The East African Community (EAC) mobile laboratory networks in Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan-from project implementation to outbreak response against Dengue, Ebola, COVID-19, and epidemic-prone diseases. BMC Med. 2021 Jul 9;19(1):160. doi: 10.1186/s12916-021-02028-y.
2. Gehre F, et al. The East African Community's mobile laboratory network's rapid response during the first 2 weeks of the Ebola Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in Uganda and pandemic preparedness activities in South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya. BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Dec;7(12):e011073. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011073.
3. Wölfel R, et al. Mobile diagnostics in outbreak response, not only for Ebola: a blueprint for a modular and robust field laboratory. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(44). doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.44.30055.
4. [Media] Capacity4Devs. Take a Tour of the European Mobile Laboratory in Foya, Liberia (narrated by Stephan Günther, EU Mobile Labs Team Leader). 2014. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-QdSifmBqY&t=129s (last access: 2025-10-28)

The German Online Platform for Biosecurity & Biosafety (GO4BSB) is the e-learning platform of the projects of the German Biosecurity Programme, which was launched in 2013 by the Federal Foreign Office under the auspices of the G7 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

Learn more about the GO4BSB initiative.