GOAL · Project

Gamification Platform That Rewards People for Staying Active and Socially Engaged

healthTestedTRL 6

goal-h2020.eu

Imagine if your favorite mobile games actually rewarded you for going for a walk, meeting friends, or doing a brain teaser. That's what GOAL built — a platform where healthy behavior earns you virtual coins you can spend inside games or trade for real rewards. Game developers plug into the platform and instantly get health features without building them from scratch. It turns the "games are bad for you" argument on its head by making games the vehicle for healthier living.

By the numbers

functional prototype applications delivered

consortium partners across 4 countries

SME partners in the consortium

total project deliverables

50%

industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Most corporate wellness and health prevention programs suffer from terrible engagement — people sign up, track steps for a week, then forget. Meanwhile, those same people spend hours on mobile games every day. The disconnect between health motivation and entertainment is a massive missed opportunity for insurers, employers, and health app companies.

The solution

What was built

The project built 6 working prototype applications: a central platform app, physical activity tracker with statistics display, social marketplace for community interaction, a coin generator game that rewards healthy behavior, a coin spender game where earned coins buy rewards, and an integrated third-party games module with API documentation.

Audience

Who needs this

Corporate wellness platform providers looking to boost employee engagementMobile game studios wanting to enter the health gaming marketHealth insurance companies building incentive-based prevention programsDigital health startups needing a gamification engine for behavior changeElderly care organizations seeking engaging activity motivation tools

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Corporate Wellness

mid-size

Target: Corporate wellness providers and HR technology companies

If you are a corporate wellness provider struggling with employee engagement in health programs — this project developed a complete gamification platform with virtual coin rewards, adaptive goal-setting, and a motivational agent that keeps users active. The platform includes 6 working prototype applications covering physical activity tracking, social interaction, and cognitive training, ready to be adapted for workplace wellness programs.

Mobile Game Development

SME

Target: Mobile game studios looking to enter health gaming

If you are a game developer wanting to add health and wellness features without building them yourself — this project built an open API platform that lets you integrate behavior-change components directly into your games. Your players earn GOAL Coins for healthy actions and spend them on in-game or real rewards. The platform handles personalized goal-setting and motivational coaching, so you focus on making fun games.

Health Insurance

enterprise

Target: Health insurance companies with prevention programs

If you are a health insurer looking to reduce claims through prevention — this project created a tested ecosystem of 6 interconnected applications that motivate policyholders to stay physically active, socially connected, and cognitively sharp. The built-in reward system with virtual coins and a social marketplace gives you a ready engine for incentive-based prevention programs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this platform?

The project data does not include licensing terms or pricing. As an EU-funded Innovation Action, results may be available through the consortium partners. Contact the coordinator at Aarhus Universitet to discuss commercial terms.

Can this scale to thousands or millions of users?

The platform was designed as an ecosystem supporting multiple third-party games and applications through a central API. With 6 working prototype applications delivered across physical activity, social marketplace, and gaming modules, the architecture is built for multi-app scale. Actual load-testing data is not available in project records.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among the 4-partner consortium across 4 countries (DE, DK, EL, NL). Aarhus Universitet coordinated the project. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the consortium, particularly the 2 industry partners who hold commercial exploitation rights.

How does the reward system actually work?

The platform uses a virtual currency called GOAL Coins. Some apps and games act as coin generators — rewarding users for healthy behavior like physical activity or social interaction. Other apps act as coin spenders — letting users trade coins for virtual or real rewards. Apps can also be both generators and spenders.

Is this just another fitness tracker app?

No. The platform is specifically designed as an ecosystem where third-party game developers integrate health behavior change into real games. It includes adaptive personalized goal-setting, a motivational agent, and a social marketplace — going well beyond step counting into cognitive training, social engagement, and competition.

What stage of development is it at?

The project delivered 6 functional prototype applications: a central GOAL application, physical activity tracker, social marketplace, coin generator game, coin spender game, and integrated third-party games. This was an Innovation Action (IA), meaning it focused on near-market development rather than basic research.

Consortium

Who built it

The GOAL consortium is compact — 4 partners across Denmark, Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands. With 2 industry partners (both SMEs) and a 50% industry ratio, this is a commercially oriented team rather than a purely academic exercise. Aarhus Universitet in Denmark coordinated, bringing research credibility, while the 2 SMEs likely drove the game development and platform engineering. The small consortium size means faster decision-making on licensing, but also that commercialization depends heavily on those 2 SME partners still being active and interested.

AARHUS UNIVERSITETCoordinator · DK
NUROGAMES GMBHparticipant · DE
ROESSINGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BVparticipant · NL
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LABORATORY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIESparticipant · EL

How to reach the team

Aarhus Universitet, Denmark — search for the GOAL H2020 project lead in the university's Department of Computer Science or related health technology group

Order a report on this consortium See AARHUS UNIVERSITET profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the GOAL platform for your wellness program or game? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner and handle the introduction.

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