ARIVE is preparing to build an international virtual research learning community that connects students, early-career researchers, supervisors and mentors across institutions and countries.
At the centre of this approach is the Virtual Research Semester (VRS). Within ARIVE, the VRS is not designed as a series of online lectures, but as a structured virtual research environment where participants learn by actively engaging in the research process. Working in interdisciplinary teams, they move from topic exploration and research question development to methodological planning, investigation, interpretation, preparation of outputs and reflection.
This model supports a shift from passive learning to active research participation. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, justify methodological choices, work with uncertainty, discuss alternative interpretations and develop structured research outputs.
ARIVE’s learning pathway is supported by supervisors and international mentors. Supervisors guide the academic process, ensuring feasibility and methodological coherence, while mentors provide broader perspectives, conceptual input and feedback that strengthen critical reflection and interpretation.
The project’s thematic orientation is linked to health research and digital transformation, including biological and clinical data interpretation, AI in biomedical research, public health data, clinical decision-making, data quality, reproducibility and digital research workflows.
ARIVE also aims to engage and train 2,500 participants through a coordinated trainee generation approach based on institutional mobilisation, curriculum integration, digital outreach and stakeholder engagement. Where feasible, VRS activities will be embedded into existing university structures, helping ensure that participation is sustainable and aligned with academic calendars.
Through Virtual Research Semesters, structured supervision, mentorship, digital and AI-supported tools, and open-access resources, ARIVE creates new opportunities for learners to experience research as a collaborative, critical and internationally connected process.
Further information on upcoming VRS activities, thematic opportunities and ways to participate will be shared as ARIVE implementation progresses.