VERSA aims to challenge the current paradigm of soft skills development at PhD level by implementing an innovative methodology for soft skills training using commercially available video games. We target the training of eight innovation related skills, namely Creativity, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Cognitive Flexibility, People/Team Management, Time Management, Judgement and Decision Making and Goal Setting, all these skills being very desirable choices for the non-academic sector. There is a dual scope to VERSA's approach...one one hand, we aim to modernize the PhD programmes at the partner universities, by offering innovative digital tools for soft skills training, and on the other hand, we aim to prove this as a consistent methodology for future use in any PhD's programme curricula, which has the potential to shape the way Universities of the future offer soft skills training for Doctoral Education.