About Rebo's Research Adventure

Did you know your local NHS hospital team is carrying out research to help find new treatments for conditions like diabetes, stroke and dementia? Well, they are, and it couldn't happen without the public getting involved.

So, to help spread the word the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) in the East of England region has launched the world's first video game to tell the story of how scientists have found treatments for health conditions like diabetes through research!

The game is now available to download for free to your iPad or Android tablet from the App Store and Google Play!

Rebo's Research Adventure Logo

In ‘Rebo’s Research Adventure’ you can join Rebo, the NHS Research Robot on a journey back in time, visiting key moments in history when medical discoveries were made to help us care for patients with diabetes.

Collect positive elements such as 'insulin' and 'French lilac' to gain points while avoiding fizzy drinks and sweets which could see you lose valuable seconds of play! As you make your virtual journey, you can move through new, more challenging levels - if you make it through the levels the quickest you might see yourself listed on an ultimate leader board!

The NIHR team behind the game hope that while you have fun you can also learn how health research is essential to finding life-changing new treatments for patients in the NHS and across the world.

The game also highlights how patients and the public play an important part in the research being delivered by NHS teams. It is hoped that the game will appeal to all ages and can engage people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Professor Jeremy Turner, Clinical Lead for the NIHR CRN East of England and Consultant Endocrinologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, who has a small cameo role in the game alongside ‘Rebo’, said:

“Through digital innovation we can empower the public to find out about health research and we’re thrilled to enable this! In line with the NIHR’s vision, we wanted to develop an online tool which would help to raise awareness of NHS research across the region and beyond. We hope this game will start conversations about the importance of health research and if players gain the knowledge that research is happening in the NHS and they can get involved, we will have fully achieved our goal.”

Follow us on Facebook @NIHRCRNEoE, Twitter @NIHRCRNeoe and on Instagram @nihreoe for all the latest news about research happening in the NHS and social care in the East of England region.