This morning, the 1st International Conference on Early Intervention and Technology in the 21st Century was inaugurated at the University of Burgos (UBU), where the results of the eEarlyCare-T project were presented. The project has lasted three years and has been selected by the European Union in the SALTO 2023 awards, thanks to its innovative approach to the application of new technologies in early intervention.
‘The project is focused on updating training from research in diagnosis and therapeutic intervention, developing training modules and virtual laboratories for practice,’ explained María Consuelo Sáiz Manzanares, coordinator of eEarlyCare-T, in which researchers from the University of Burgos, the University of Roma Tre (Italy) and the Croatian University of Sveuciliste u Rijeci, as well as the Spanish companies Gestionet Multimedia S.L. and Kveloce I+D+i are participating.
The main results of the project include the creation of eight training modules and twelve self-regulated virtual laboratories. These laboratories are designed to train new professionals and update the knowledge of those already active in the field of early care, providing diagnostic and intervention tools based on artificial intelligence and data mining. The training contents developed are available in open access, in two e-books, in English and Spanish, edited by the Publications and Institutional Image Service of the UBU.
This conference is part of the tenth anniversary of the Faculty of Health Sciences and its dean, María Ángeles Martínez Martín, highlighted the international collaboration and synergies arising from the project that ‘enriches the entire University of Burgos’ and responds to the need to detect and diagnose pathologies or any problem as early as possible in order to intervene early.
The dean also recalled that this research has not only generated results, but is also the germ of the new master's degree at the University of Burgos. Entitled Early Assessment and Intervention in Childhood through the Application of Intelligent Systems, this programme is aimed at training professionals in the use of advanced technological tools for assessment and intervention in childhood.
Delfín Ortega Sánchez, vice-rector for Social Responsibility, Culture and Sport, emphasised how new technologies are a fundamental ally today when it comes to detecting and tackling various disorders, ‘artificial intelligence and data mining are revolutionising diagnosis and personalised intervention in early childhood, allowing significant improvements in the quality of life of children’.
The conference has managed to bring together nearly 150 registered participants, many of whom will be able to follow the conference online thanks to the TVUBU broadcast. Coming from universities, hospitals, health centres, associations and professional associations from all over Spain, this success reflects the interest in knowing the results of the eEarlyCare-T project and the level of the presentations that will take place during these two days.
One example is the presence of Dr. Francisco Alcantud Marín, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Education at the University of Valencia, who gave the inaugural conference entitled ‘Early Childhood Care: challenges in the Society of the 21st Century’.
In addition to the lectures, interactive workshops will be held in which participants will have access to the virtual laboratories developed by the project, a practical experience that will allow them to explore the contributions that technological innovation can make to early intervention.
