Babes-Bolyai University implements for the first time in Romania through the DATA laboratory (Digital Affective Technologies in Therapy and Assessment) and the REThink ACADEMY project, the UBB STUDENT LIVING LAB ecosystem, which aims to evaluate the emotional well-being of students in real life on campuses. The project involves the use of the dedicated app StudentMood, which allows the evaluation of emotional distress and other psychological and behavioral parameters within the student community. It uses iterative feedback, co-creation processes and collective engagement to understand the dynamics of emotional distress across semesters.

Currently, the main project carried out within the UBB STUDENT LIVING LAB consists of the continuous monitoring of the mental health of first-year students, by using the sampling method of emotional experiences, self-reported lifestyle, behaviors (e.g. physical activity) and measuring some of their physiological parameters (e.g. heart rate variability). The REThink ACADEMY project, together with other projects carried out in international consortia, such as the World Mental Health – International Student Initiative project coordinated by Harvard University, will allow a deeper understanding of the affective component of student life at UBB.

Within the UBB STUDENT LIVING LAB, the DATA Laboratory in collaboration with Babeș-Bolyai University Clinic “PsyTech” constantly carries out research projects dedicated to students, in which they can benefit from innovative support interventions in mental health and can get involved in the development , testing and scaling them.