In its first two editions, a total of 11 projects were developed in the prototype stage.
La Universidad Nacional de RosarioThrough its Technological Experimentation Laboratory (LET UNR), the university is promoting #XperienciaUNR, a program focused on developing prototypes based on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality. This pioneering initiative within the university setting fosters innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement with various stakeholders in the region.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm generated by the call for proposals, because it has a very atypical format. It was a gamble we took, and judging by the results, it exceeded our own expectations. We aim for the University to become a producer of technologies, and to do so in a coordinated and interdisciplinary way. In many cases, the projects arise from specific demands of social actors, which gives them added value,” highlighted Marisol González, Director of Technological Liaison for the Science, Technology and Innovation for Development Area at UNR.
The program promotes the creation of technological solutions with social impact, aimed at expanding access to digital tools, fostering inclusion, strengthening networks, and reducing the digital divide. Furthermore, it encourages the formation of an interdisciplinary and collaborative community that enhances the exchange of knowledge across different academic fields and stimulates collective learning.
“The first call for proposals was a complete learning curve, and it went very well. The collaboration with Soledad Palomeque, director of the Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, and with Ignacio Evangelista, coordinator of the Technical Degree in Artificial Intelligence, was key, because from the beginning we aimed to form interdisciplinary teams with development and design backgrounds,” said Aníbal Rossi, Coordinator of the Technological Experimentation Laboratory. He added: “We had five projects this year and six last year, all with great development potential. We know it's a slow and demanding process, but beyond the concrete results, the most valuable aspect of this experience is the process itself.”
Along the same lines, González emphasized that those who participated in the initiative “acquired a set of skills that strengthen both their professional and academic training, through experiences not found in a traditional classroom.” She gave an example: “Several students from the Artificial Intelligence Technician program told us they found jobs because companies valued their participation in interdisciplinary teams of this kind. It’s very gratifying that participating in the program improves their job prospects.”
The teams, made up of two or three members with at least one responsible teacher, presented their ideas to be evaluated for their novelty, impact, feasibility and interdisciplinary composition.
Once selected, the projects encompassed diverse development and design profiles, ensuring a comprehensive approach during the prototyping stage. The initiatives were framed within various themes: educational resources, inclusion and digital literacy, health and well-being, digital culture and heritage, video games and gaming devices, environmental sustainability, citizen participation, and socio-productive demands.
The program was developed in three stages: an initial application and selection phase; a second prototyping laboratory phase, with mentoring, training and technical support; and a final presentation open to the public, where the teams presented the results achieved.
A distinctive feature of the call for proposals is the profile of the participants in the areas of design and development. In the case of the Bachelor's Degree in Design, participation is supported by the Technology Department, which recognized the experience as part of the course's academic program. “This introduces an additional dimension that affects all the teams: the challenge that students don't always have all the necessary skills to comprehensively solve the problems that arise, especially during the prototyping stage. In that sense, it's also an opportunity for collective, interdisciplinary, and project-based learning,” explained Rossi.
With a collaborative approach and constant experimentation, #XperienciaUNR is establishing itself as a unique space within the University. “We are developing strategies that target new territory, based on the idea that skills are dispersed and that it is necessary to create mechanisms capable of bringing them together and putting them to work collaboratively. That, I think, is the most interesting core of what #XperienciaUNR means,” Rossi explained.
Projects that generate value
In its first two editions, corresponding to 2024 and 2025, 19 teachers, 12 students, 10 development profiles and 10 design profiles participated, reaching a total of 11 projects in the prototype stage.
In 2024, six projects were selected that reflect the diversity and creative potential of the university community. Among them, “Pioneers of Science” proposes to recover and highlight the careers of the first female scientists in the Universidad Nacional de RosarioThrough a playful and interactive experience, it seeks to inspire new generations to pursue careers linked to science and research.
“SITRA” is an agricultural tractor simulator that combines technological innovation and practical learning, while “Alabandera” offers an Augmented Reality experience that reveals the hidden layers of the Flag Monument through 3D models, historical photographs and architectural diagrams, allowing you to explore its history and design in an interactive and dynamic way.
Meanwhile, “Experiencia Villarino” is an educational initiative that integrates technology, environmental conservation, and playful learning. Through a mobile application, it invites users to discover the park's biodiversity through digital tours, augmented reality, and real-time geolocation. Finally, “Parasitum” develops an immersive reality device for learning about parasitic diseases, incorporating a language model applied to education on small servers.
In the 2025 edition, five initiatives are underway, such as a Virtual Museum in Augmented Reality, a project by the commune of Montes de Oca that applies AI to the preservation of documentary heritage, Partidópolis (video game about politics) and Seven Memories From the Shadows (immersive educational device).
The program's central focus is innovation applied to social, educational, cultural, and economic challenges. “It's important to highlight the social and community component of the proposals. For example, the Virtual Museum contributes to building a local identity, as does the project developed in Montes de Oca, where residents themselves are involved by sending photos and documents to enrich an archive that will also be interpreted using artificial intelligence. This is very valuable because it also speaks to the viability of the projects: it's no longer just a small group of three or five people, or simply the University wanting to do something, but a community that supports and drives them,” said Marisol González, who added: “These are projects that add value and contribute in different ways. There's also the case of Seven Memories from the Shadows, which uses technology to recover the stories of the victims of the 2001 earthquake in the city, based on in-depth interviews with their families.”
For his part, Aníbal Rossi emphasized: “These are technological developments with great potential that transcend the four walls of the University. This program allowed the teams to take certain risks in the creation process, something that isn't always possible in other development contexts. In that sense, the University, through initiatives like this, plays a fundamental role by offering a space where one can experiment, innovate, and make decisions that drive the growth of the projects.”
A laboratory for innovation
Created in 2022, the UNR's Technological Experimentation Laboratory views access to technology as a way to expand rights. In this regard, Aníbal Rossi emphasized that “#XperienciaUNR reflects this vision, consolidating the University as an innovation platform that integrates education, research, and community engagement.”
For his part, Gonzalez highlighted that the expectation for the near future is to relaunch the call for proposals and that "it will become a kind of policy of the Science Area," while they continue working on the projects that have already been selected so that these can continue to be developed and advanced.
Finally, Rossi announced another sister project also under development that will soon be making waves: UNR GameLab, which promotes video game development within the University. “The approach is very similar to Xperiencia. Five video games are currently in development that are sure to generate buzz, and the goal is to have them ready for launch in the first half of 2026.”
Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photography: Karen Roeschlin