NWO highlights how the Take-off grant helped the ROOM team offer the ROOM app beyond EUR as well.
Six years ago, researchers Danielle Remmerswaal and Marilisa Boffo began the multi-year project that eventually resulted in the product ROOM. ROOM is a scientifically grounded mental health app created with and for EUR students. The app doesn't focus on specific conditions or challenges that students face, but on prevention and personal development.
'We start from skills rather than illness. Students learn to recognise emotions, understand where stress comes from, and discover how to deal with it better.'
Marilisa Boffo
Associate professor (ESSB)
From research to enterprise
ROOM proved a great success among EUR students. Within a few weeks of launch, the app was being used by more than two thousand students. This fuelled bigger ambitions: Could ROOM also be offered beyond EUR?
Working with the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, Marilisa and Danielle applied for NWO's Take-off funding instrument. They were awarded €50,000. With that grant, the researchers put on their entrepreneurial hats to work out ROOM's business model in detail. And they learned a great deal along the way.
Curious about their lessons and tips? Check out the full NWO-article.
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