Welcoming DIS Students from the USA to RESILIENCE & FlexBio for Another Inspiring Summer Workshop
1st July 2026
The RESILIENCE & FlexBio teams welcomed DIS Summer School students from the USA for a unique day of XR learning and hands-on activities in an interactive bioprocessing workshop at Heriot-Watt University.
Every summer, the RESILIENCE team at Heriot-Watt University looks forward to welcoming a very special group of visitors: Dr Jeanette Erbo and students from the DIS (Study Abroad in Scandinavia) Summer School in Denmark. The programme brings together university students from across the United States for an immersive educational experience in Scandinavia and Europe, where they learn directly from leading researchers, industry experts and innovative organisations.
As part of their study tour, Dr Jeannette Erbo accompanied by this year’s cohort of students once again visited Heriot-Watt University to take part in our RESILIENCE & FlexBio workshop, an event we always look forward to hosting. The workshop traditionally begins with an introduction to the medicine manufacturing industry, providing students with an overview of the therapeutic drugs development process and the diverse range of careers available within the sector. This year, however, the RESILIENCE team was pleasantly surprised when the students presented an impressive overview of RESILIENCE’s mission, demonstrating the effort they had put into preparing for the workshop.
Following the introduction, the students experienced the cutting-edge extended reality (XR) training technologies used throughout RESILIENCE's educational programmes. Using the software developed by FourPlus, called Eclipse Creator, they learned how to assemble a bioreactor and perform biological sample separation through centrifugation in a fully immersive mixed reality environment.
One of the highlights of the session was an interactive journey inside a human cell, allowing participants to explore its organelles and observe key cellular processes from a unique perspective. The experience proved to be both educational and memorable, leaving many students amazed by the level of immersion and visual experience.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr Jeanette Erbo said:
"My students found the VR and MR experiences at RESILIENCE fascinating – stepping into a simulated GMP manufacturing lab and seeing how you actually work within it was an experience none of them expected."
The workshop then moved from the virtual world into the real one with a guided tour of the FlexBio Scale-Up Facility at Heriot-Watt University. Here, students were introduced to industry-standard equipment and bioprocessing techniques before applying what they had learned in XR by assembling a real bioreactor under the guidance of the experienced FlexBio team. This seamless combination of virtual and hands-on learning gave participants valuable insight into modern biomanufacturing practices and demonstrated how immersive technologies can enhance technical training.
To round off the day, the group visited the National Robotarium, where they met Ameca, an advanced AI-powered humanoid robot. They also discovered the fascinating story of Mowbian the whale, featured in the BBC documentary series Spy in the Ocean, and learned how robotics is helping researchers better understand marine life.
The day was filled with curiosity, innovation and collaboration, and it was fantastic to see the students so engaged throughout each activity. Their enthusiasm, thoughtful questions and willingness to embrace new technologies made the workshop a pleasure to deliver.
We would like to thank Dr Jeanette Erbo and all of the DIS students for visiting us once again. We hope they left inspired by the exciting possibilities within medicine manufacturing and biotechnology, and we look forward to welcoming the next cohort back to RESILIENCE in the future.