REPURPOLIS boardgame
In this game, a development team will need to successfully bring a repurposing candidate to the patient, by building and playing the critical path. The path comprises essential steps like formulation, preclinical and clinical research, but also elements such as patient engagement, funding, regulatory interactions, commercialization and patient access. Each step is represented by playing cards with outcomes influenced by players’ decisions. Money and time can be won or lost along the way while boosters and wildcards can bring additional benefits or misfortune. The ultimate goal is to reach the patient within time and budget.
Why this game?
The game offers a fun and educational experience that promotes teamwork, strategic thinking, and a comprehensive understanding of drug development processes. Initially created for biomedical students to explore the complexities of drug development interactively, it has also been successfully played by patient representatives. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, resulting in enjoyable interactions and engaging discussions.
Playtime approx. 1.5 hours
Testimonials
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Donald Lo- Director of Medicines Development at EATRIS
'Who would have thought that drug repurposing could be so fun? Usually trying to teach target product profiles, critical paths and go/no-go decisions is like pulling teeth, as important as these core topics are to drug development and repurposing. REPURPOLIS transforms this into an astonishingly enjoyable and effective group learning experience—bravo!"
Prof. Hilde Stevens - Co-director at I3h, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in healthcare at ULB
'The Repupolis Board Game provided valuable insights into the intricate process of, and critical pathway to be followed in, drug development. While emphasizing on the complexities and critical decisions required to bring repurposed drugs to patients efficiently, the patients' role and early dialogues with regulatory agencies shows the opportunities to speed up innovation. Through interactive gameplay, our I3h Interdisciplinary Program in Healthcare Innovation participants learned first-hand about the challenges, opportunities, and strategic thinking essential in pharmaceutical innovation. The Program participants found this a highly engaging and educational learning opportunity that underscores the importance of innovation, collective intelligence and stakeholder collaboration in healthcare! Thank you to Rosan Kreeftmeijer-Vegter, for expertly guiding us through this enlightening session.
Dr Jinhui Gao (Andy) - Research Fellow at UCL
'I love this board game! I played it with academic peers at the R4A Bootcamp in Hinxton. It’s a fantastic way to learn the process of drug repurposing while considering different risks and strategies. Beyond being fun to play with peers, it also encourages stepping outside the academic mindset to see the bigger picture of translational research, which I’m truly passionate about!'
Saskya Angevare - EUPATI NL Training Coordinator
"Playing the REPURPOLIS board game was a unique and valuable experience. This was the first time the game was played with this particular group (a mix of EUPATI students and Fellows), providing useful new insights and connections. The game combines strategy and teamwork in an enjoyable and interactive way, making complex concepts in the medicine development process comprehensible. The day was an engaging mix of strategy, teamwork, and knowledge, also helping to expand and strengthen the network. This way, we continue to work towards more and better patient engagement in drug discovery, research, and development."
Heleen van der Meer - Senior programme manager at ZonMw / REMEDi4ALL
"REPURPOLIS is a fantastic game, which is super fun and educating at the same time. What I loved is that you play the game as a team. You have to choose a repurposing candidate and make strategic choices together in the critical path that should lead to patient access. In my team this led to fascinating discussions, but also shared emotions when there was a win or set-back in the game based on our choices - making it the perfect bonding activity with our team. Other successful elements in the game are that it is based on real cases; the critical steps that have to be placed in order and the descriptions of what they are; the playing cards for each critical step and the game elements such as wild cards, time and money. I recommend this game to everyone interested in drug development."
David Ameyaw - Syreon Research Institute Country Manager
“When we were assigned to play the REPURPOLIS game at the REMEDi4ALL hackathon, I thought it was one of those activities' organizers use just to ice-break. Rather it turned out to be a great learning and team building tool, beyond my imagination. I believe a semester’s lesson on drug repurposing will not equal the level of holistic learning which happens when one plays REPURPOLIS. The game is well thought out and all-encompassing of the critical decisions to be made in a complex world of uncertainty; revealing best practices which could help manage the risks of a drug repurposing project. We have indeed been gifted with an innovative simulation tool that can adequately prime even novice repurposing teams towards success. Furthermore, the principles of the REPURPOLIS game can transform the way we teach and prepare teams for complex projects in healthcare and other fields.”
Alicia Soler - Scientific Programme Manager REMEDi4ALL
"Whatever your background, REPURPOLIS is the dream game that allows you to explore and learn about drug development and drug repurposing. REPURPOLIS is not only educational but also deeply enjoyable and engaging!"
Jacobien Vermande - Visual Engagement Practitioner
"REPURPOLIS is a substantively strong game that is accurate, engaging, and educational, suitable for both small and large groups. The game makes the complexity of drug development processes accessible in a collaborative and inclusive manner. As a game designer, I know how impressive it is to coherently bring all these elements together. Amazing, what a gem to play!"
News
SAGANET awards Rosan Kreeftmeijer-Vegter Best New Serious Game Designer for REPURPOLIS
The Best New Serious Game Designer award is organised yearly by Saganet, the Dutch network for serious gaming professionals. On 10 April 2026, Rosan Kreeftmeijer-Vegter (EATRIS Scientific Lead Rare Diseases and Regulatory Advisory) was awarded first place for her work designing REPURPOLIS, a game created to make the process of drug repurposing more accessible and engaging.
Rosan recounts her experience at the SAGANET awards:
“It felt like a very special recognition from professionals who actively design and work with serious games.”
Want to find out more?
Are you interested in using this game in your community? If so, please get in contact with Rosan (rosanvegter@eatris.eu) so that we can create a tailored learning experience for your group.
Disclaimer
This game has been developed with the support of the REMEDi4ALL and EOSC-Life projects, which have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programmes under grant agreements No 101057442 and No 824087 respectively. The support of EATRIS C&S and HKU Ludo Didactics (Utrecht), which significantly contributed to shaping this game, is gratefully acknowledged. Game format and design: A.R. Kreeftmeijer-Vegter © 2024
