On 24 April, the OPENVERSE project hosted the workshop titled “National Initiatives and the European Partnership on Virtual Worlds”, designed to provide updates on the European Commission’s strategy around Virtual Worlds and share progress on the upcoming European Partnership on Virtual Worlds.
The session brought together more than 90 participants from national and EU-level initiatives to strengthen collaboration, reduce fragmentation, and co-create an inclusive ecosystem for Virtual Worlds in Europe.
The Commission’s strategy and the role of the partnership
Marta Palau Franco, Programme Officer at DG CONNECT, gave an overview of how the partnership initiative originated. She explained that in July 2023, the Commission had launched the Communication on Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds and that one of the main actions of this strategy was the creation of a European Partnership in consultation with Member States.
Marta Palau emphasised that this was not merely an exploration. The partnership was actively being created, and the aim is to support the development of technological building blocks for useful, sustainable, and trustworthy Virtual World systems and applications. She added that the partnership would also contribute to delivering on the goals of the Digital Decade and other policy objectives.
She described the partnership as a co-programmed Horizon Europe partnership, combining European Commission support and matching contributions from private or public partners.
The structure of the partnership
Siemens had been named as the coordinating private-side lead of the initiative. Matthieu Worm from Siemens provided an overview of how the partnership is being set up. His presentation focused on two main tracks:
- Creating the Virtual Worlds Association
- Legal entity to be set up in Brussels
- Expected to have 200–350 members
- Open to European companies, research institutes, public services, and startups
- Will be responsible for managing the community and signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the Commission
- Drafting the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)
- Based on community contributions, led by founding members
- Includes seven domain chapters (e.g. industry, healthcare, public administration) and multiple technology chapters
- Will guide Horizon Europe calls from 2026 onwards (budget estimated at €150 million)
Matthieu Worm emphasised that Virtual Worlds should not be limited to AR/VR or XR technologies. He explained that Siemens viewed Virtual Worlds as industrial metaverses and that immersion could involve many different forms, not just VR headsets, but also collaboration, real-time interaction, and interfaces connecting to the real world.
He also pointed out that the technologies involved included simulation, AI, digital twins, and intuitive design. A key aim, he said, was to enable non-expert users to access complex technologies, thus contributing to the democratisation of innovation.
Milestones and timeline
Matthieu Worm presented a clear timeline:
- Dec 2024: Internal planning and EC alignment.
- Jan 2025: Founding partners identified and SRIA chapter outline prepared.
- Feb–Apr 2025: Drafting of Articles of Association and SRIA content begins.
- May–Jun 2025: First SRIA draft shared with the Commission.
- Jul–Sep 2025: Legal entity established and SRIA formally published
Founding members and penholders
The list of founding member candidates includes Siemens, SAP, VRT, CNRS, CNR, KU Leuven, Fraunhofer, DFKI, and others. These organisations are penholders of different chapters in the SRIA, covering domains such as:
- Industry and logistics
- Healthcare and social inclusion
- Media and entertainment
- Education and research
- City and public administration
- Digital twins
- Applied AI for Virtual Worlds
- Interoperability and standardisation
The SRIA will also address context topics (e.g., data governance and infrastructure) and socio-economic aspects such as ethics, legal frameworks, and business models.
Next steps and community involvement
The webinar concluded with a Q&A session, during which participants raised questions about regional representation, the involvement of non-EU partners, and clarity on technology scope (such as the inclusion of augmented and mixed reality). Both Marta Palau Franco and Matthieu Worm reassured attendees that the process remains open and that contributions are welcome even if organisations are not among the founding members.
Stakeholders can submit use cases using a shared template that includes scenario descriptions, current challenges, added value from Virtual Worlds, and relevant technologies.
The presenters encouraged the stakeholders to engage early, underlining that these strategic agendas were designed to evolve and that input from the community would help shape Europe’s digital future.
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