PlayersAll Project Receives “Excellent” Rating from FCT

On 28 October 2025, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) concluded the final evaluation process of the scientific report of the exploratory project PlayersAll, awarding it an Excellent rating.

According to the international panel responsible for the evaluation, the project demonstrated strong management, standing out for the ambition of the funded proposal and for having greatly surpassed the initially defined indicators. The panel also highlighted the high interactive and social impact of the activities carried out throughout the project.

The PlayersAll project, which ran from 3 January 2022 to 2 January 2024, focused on the development of eight prototypes of a virtual reality game aimed at upper-limb rehabilitation. Its main goal was to explore how the motivational and engaging characteristics of video games can be effectively integrated into rehabilitation contexts, balancing technological innovation with clinical needs.

In addition to therapists and end users, the project involved family members and policymakers, particularly in an event promoted by APPACDM da Ajuda on 31 October 2023. The PlayersAll partnerships also included CerciOeiras and the Occupational Therapy undergraduate programme of the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, reinforcing the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the initiative.

The project’s Research Unit was the HEI-Lab, with the participation of NOVA.ID.FCT, CICANT, and LIBPhys-UNL.

More information about the project can be found at: https://playersall.ulusofona.pt/