Second Learning Expedition and Fourth Project Conference Held in Split
The Second Learning Expedition of the eSleep_dHealth project took place in Split from 22 to 26 September at the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MedILS), marking the final stage of the Social Innovation Incubator.
In the weeks leading up to the Learning Expedition, students participated in the Summer in Cloud phase, during which they explored the challenge in depth to gain a better understanding of the unmet medical need related to sleep apnea.
The Learning Expedition officially began with an opening ceremony that welcomed students from partner universities in Croatia, Iceland, and Greece, as well as additional participants from Romania and Cyprus who joined as part of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Sleep Medicine in the Digital Era.”
Throughout the week, students worked in international teams, applying design thinking methods to develop innovative digital solutions addressing the challenge of raising awareness of sleep apnea and enabling individuals to recognize symptoms early and seek timely medical care.
The first part of the programme focused on understanding users and defining the problem. Students created user personas and mapped user journeys to analyze experiences, pain points, and opportunities for improvement. They then formulated “How Might We” questions, which allowed them to reframe challenges into specific innovation opportunities.
In the following days, students engaged in intensive ideation sessions, generating a wide range of creative concepts and selecting the most promising ones for further development. On the fourth day, the teams traveled to the island of Brač, where they focused on prototyping their solutions in Postira, creating low-fidelity prototypes through sketches, mock-ups, and storyboards in a collaborative environment. The prototypes were prepared for testing the following day.
On the final day, students tested their prototypes with end users to gather feedback and refine their solutions. The day also marked the Fourth Project Conference, where an info session presented the project’s main results. The week concluded with the Demo Day, showcasing the most promising student solutions to a panel of experts in digital health and sleep medicine.
The winning team, Sleep Experts, impressed the jury with their solution Smart Sleep Sensing, designed to enable people to detect sleep disturbances without the need for wearable devices. Their innovative approach combines microphones, infrared/radar sensors, thermal IR cameras, and under-mattress sensors to monitor sleep and provide notifications about possible sleep apnea.
The Second Learning Expedition successfully brought together students, mentors, and experts from multiple countries, combining creativity, teamwork, and real-world challenges to foster impactful digital health innovations. It also served as a strong demonstration of the eSleep_dHealth project’s results, highlighting the benefits of international collaboration and applied social innovation.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the Mediterranean Economic Foresight Institute only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP). Neither the European Union nor AMEUP can be held responsible for them.
