The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted traditional forms of higher education. In response to these new challenges, innovative approaches emerged, particularly in the field of distance learning. Digital technologies became a key tool in overcoming geographical and temporal barriers, ensuring the continuity of educational processes. Especially in the field of practical courses, such as agricultural and biological sciences, the need for new approaches arose. Virtual laboratories, using virtual reality technologies, offer a promising alternative to traditional laboratory exercises. These digital laboratories allow students to gain practical experience regardless of their physical presence. The goal of the BioFoodVirLabs project was to support innovative forms of education in the fields of biology, biotechnology, and food science. The main objective of the project was to develop and promote new methods and approaches to teaching and learning that would harness the potential of digital technologies (Eg. Online courses). The results of the BioFoodVirLabs project will significantly contribute to the modernization of higher education and enable students to acquire quality education even in the most challenging conditions.
The BioFoodVirLabs project aimed to support digital skills and promote new forms of remote and distance learning focused on higher education in biology, biotechnology, and food science, based on the collaboration of participating universities: the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (SPU), Mendel University in Brno (MU) in the Czech Republic, the University of Debrecen (UD) in Hungary, and the Pedagogical University in Krakow (UP) in Poland, currently known as the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow. The project addressed the needs of digital transformation by developing digital readiness, resilience, and capacity. Digital transformation presents both societal and technological challenges that affect all citizens in Europe. The project's goal was to develop and utilize digital technologies, methods, strategic approaches, and learning and teaching techniques through virtual laboratories to enhance higher education and optimize its contribution to the economic, social, and environmental growth of countries, with a focus on sustainable development.