On May 22, 2025, the HECOF project—Higher Education Classroom of the Future—celebrated its final milestone with a forward-thinking conference in the heart of Brussels. Hosted by Konnektable Technologies and the HECOF Consortium at Workero, the event convened leading voices in education, technology, and policy to explore the next chapter in digital higher education.
Demonstrations and talks from project partners, featuring HECOF’s results
Driving Innovation in Learning Environments
The event opened with remarks from Dr. Angelos Liapis, CEO of Konnektable Technologies, who welcomed attendees and emphasized the mission of HECOF: to transform the traditional classroom into a smart, immersive, and personalized learning environment.
A key session focused on the presentation of HECOF’s results, featuring demonstrations and talks from project partners. Notably:
Jason Horn, Software Developer at Nuromedia GmbH, presented a live VR demo, offering a glimpse into the virtual learning tools developed under HECOF.
Christian Tismer, R&I Portfolio Manager at Nuromedia GmbH, gave a compelling talk on integrating immersive technology into education.
Ioana Ghergulescu, Head of Research and Adaptive Learning at Adaptemy, demonstrated the project’s AI-based adaptive learning system, showcasing its impact on personalizing the student learning journey.
Pilots, Ethics, and Global Perspectives
The conference also spotlighted pilot implementations in Italy and Greece. Xue Pei (Politecnico di Milano) and Maria Karoglou (National Technical University of Athens) shared real-world insights into applying HECOF innovations in their universities, including challenges, successes, and student feedback.
Ethical and legal dimensions of AI in education were addressed in a session led by Ioana Ghergulescu, who outlined core principles for responsible AI adoption in academic settings—an increasingly important topic in the evolving edtech landscape.
Building European Synergies: Sister Projects Unite
Collaboration was a central theme, emphasized by the vibrant session on synergies with sister EU-funded projects. Representatives from a number of innovative initiatives joined to share best practices and align visions. The participating sister projects included:
XR2Learn – represented by Angelica Marsico (EIT Manufacturing South)
XR2Industry – represented by Dr. Erwin De Ley (Supportsquare NV)
OPENVERSE & XR4HUMAN – represented by Michael Barngrover (XR4Europe)
MASTER – represented by Panagiotis Karagiannis (Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation)
augMENTOR – represented by Stavros Delavinias (Konnektable Technologies)
XR4ED – represented by Holger Kuerten (Nurogames GmbH)
These projects presented their innovations, shared lessons learned, and discussed how their efforts intersect with HECOF’s goals. The session underscored the value of transdisciplinary collaboration in tackling the complex challenges of modern education.
Additionally, Carmen Mena, European Project Manager at Finnova, contributed to the session as a speaker, offering valuable insights and perspectives on innovation in EU-funded projects.
The Road Ahead for HECOF and Beyond
In the closing session, Epameinondas Koutavelis, Research Project Delivery Manager at Konnektable Technologies, offered final reflections on the HECOF journey and outlined future opportunities to scale its impact across Europe.
The HECOF Final Conference was more than an end—it was a launchpad. By bringing together technology, ethics, pedagogy, and policy, HECOF is paving the way for a more equitable, immersive, and data-driven higher education system.
🔗 Follow HECOF on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube