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// What we've done and what's coming

July 8, 2026

New platform for the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

Your voice is vital to shaping the future of the European Virtual Worlds Industry, and this interactive space ensures your insights-sharing experience to be in a smooth and collaborative way.

July 2, 2026

VWP Annual Forum 2026 — Registration is Open

VWP Annual Forum 2026

June 17, 2026

Position Paper: XR Chips & Components Pilot Line for Europe

Building sovereign, open, and human-centric Virtual Worlds requires excellence across the entire technology stack from chips and components to digital infrastructures. While Virtual Worlds are often discussed in terms of applications, software, standards, and AI, their success ultimately depends on the hardware foundations that make them possible.

June 16, 2026

1st Virtual Worlds Partnership online event

The first online meeting of the Virtual Worlds Partnership will take place on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, from 13:00 to 15:30 CEST. Co-organised by the European Commission's DG CONNECT and the Virtual Worlds Association, this session is exclusively open to Virtual Worlds Partnership members.

May 26, 2026

Working Groups creation process: Official launch

The Virtual Worlds Association is pleased to announce the launch of its Working Groups creation process, opening a new collaborative framework for members to actively contribute to the development of the European Virtual Worlds ecosystem.

May 25, 2026

The VWA and INMERSIVA XR sign a Memorandum of Understanding

The Virtual Worlds Association (VWA) and INMERSIVA XR, the Spanish Extended Reality Association have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

May 21, 2026

European Commission roundtable discussion on XR Chips & Components Pilot Line

As part of a Virtual Worlds Partnership roundtable, the Virtual Worlds Association presented its second position paper as a basis to discuss one of the most critical foundations of Europe's future Virtual Worlds ecosystem: XR-dedicated hardware, chips, and components.

May 4, 2026

The VWA and 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) sign Memorandum of Understanding

The Virtual Worlds Association (VWA) and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

April 17, 2026

1st VWP Online Forum

The first Virtual Worlds Association Online Forum will bring together members of the European virtual worlds ecosystem to align priorities, share insights, and define the next steps of the association.This forum represents a key milestone in strengthening the role of the VWA as a credible, member-driven organisation connecting industry, academia, and policy stakeholders across Europe.This is not a standard information session. It is a working forum designed to ensure that VWA activities reflect the real needs and priorities of its members.Participants will have the opportunity to:Contribute to shaping the strategic direction of the VWAExchange perspectives with leading organisations in the ecosystemIdentify collaboration opportunities across sectorsGain visibility on upcoming initiatives and engagement channels

March 31, 2026

Virtual Worlds Café on "XR in Healthcare" in Amsterdam

On April21, between 9:00am and 1:00pm, the ERTRAG project and the VWA are co-organizing an in-person focus group session on XR applications in healthcare. This is part of the “Virtual Worlds Café”-series of events to gather stakeholder input.

March 20, 2026

Virtual Worlds technologies and applications for the Defence & Security sector

The Defence & security position paper is the first official document realized in the frame of the Virtual Worlds Partnership. Co-created by the Virtual Worlds Association members, including contributions from top EU defense industry representatives, research institutions and XR Companies.

March 16, 2026

Virtual World Association Focus Group Workshop on future “XR chips & components pilot-line”

On March 16, between 9:30am and 12:00, the VWA is organizing an in-person workshop to gather European stakeholder initial input to a position paper on a future “XR chips & components pilot-line”.

March 12, 2026

European Commission roundtable discussion - Virtual Worlds technologies for Defence and security

During a round table organized by the European Commission, we had the pleasure of presenting the first ever recommendation document produced by Virtual Worlds Partnership: “Virtual Worlds technologies and applications for the defence and security sector”, in context of future European research priorities and programs.

March 6, 2026

From the Metaverse to Virtual Worlds: Europe’s Path Towards Human-Centric Digital Spaces

A newly published journal article explores how the conversation around the “metaverse” is evolving toward human-centric Virtual Worlds aligned with European values that reflect its cultural and political foundations.

February 9, 2026

Official brokerage event for Horizon Europe draws over 400 participants

The online event brought together more than 400 participants from academia, industry, research centres and innovation ecosystems across Europe and associated countries. Attendees had the opportunity to gain insights into the call’s objectives and engage in structured networking to facilitate consortium building and project partnerships.

February 3, 2026

Virtual Worlds Partnership Info Day and Brokerage Event

On 3 February, the VWA and the European Commission are organising the official brokerage event for the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01 (Developing and demonstrating core technologies for Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0).

December 10, 2025

Partnership signature: Co-Programmed Partnership for Virtual Worlds

On Wednesday, 10 December, in the Berlaymont Building of the European Commission. On this occasion, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Mrs Henna Virkkunen, and President of the Virtual Worlds Association Matthieu Worm signed the Memorandum of Understanding that underpins this partnership.

June 22, 2025

Strategic Research & Innovation agenda

Bringing together a coalition of industrial, research centers, and companies, this strategic and guiding document sets out the main priorities, challenges, and expected impacts in terms of research and innovation for the virtual worlds industry. It explores areas of application, technological dimensions, socio-economic impacts, and governance and infrastructure issues.

Event presence

// Where to find us

November 3, 2026

2nd International Workshop on XR for Challenging Environments

This is the second edition of the XR for Challenging Environments (XR4CE) workshop series, building directly on the successful CHI 2026 workshop in Barcelona. That first gathering brought together 22 position papers and a vibrant community spanning emergency response, aviation, healthcare, industrial operations, and military contexts. The upcoming workshop in Valencia (Nov 3, 2026), a satellite event of EuroXR 2026 and VWP Annual Forum 2026, will deepen that work. Extended Reality combined with Artificial Intelligence holds transformative potential for professionals in Challenging Environments (CEs) — contexts defined by complexity, risk, and unpredictability that push human decision-making to its limits. Yet XR research still struggles to meet the unique demands of embodied, mission-critical work. The workshop is co-organized by AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology), the University of Zagreb, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, and Leif Oppermann (Fraunhofer FIT & Vice-President of the Virtual Worlds Association).

November 2, 2026

VWP Annual Forum 2026

The Virtual Worlds Partnership (VWP) Annual Forum is a reference meeting point for Europe’s immersive technologies ecosystem. The Annual Forum reflects this mission: it is where strategic priorities are discussed, cross-sector alliances are formed, and Europe’s Virtual Worlds agenda takes shape. In 2026, we invite you to join us in Valencia to collectively define the next phase of Europe’s immersive transformation.

July 8, 2026

Webinar on the SRIA Update

📢 Registrations are now open for the Virtual Worlds #SRIA Update Seminar – Members Only! Join us for an exclusive opportunity to contribute to the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) that will shape the future of #virtualworlds technology. Connect with fellow experts, researchers, and industry innovators from across the European ecosystem. 📅 July 8, 2026 ⏰ 09:30–10:30 CET