On 6 May 2025, the OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 projects formalised their collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a major milestone in Europe’s joint efforts to shape the future of Virtual Worlds and ICT standardisation, and to promote standards that support Virtual Worlds and European digital sovereignty.
This partnership goes beyond a formal agreement—it embodies a shared commitment to fostering a human-centric digital future. As Europe continues to invest in Virtual Worlds, Artificial Intelligence, and immersive media, ensuring that technological innovation is aligned with international standards is crucial.
By joining forces, OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 are working to embed Europe’s core values—trust, inclusion, openness, and privacy—within the evolving digital landscape.
A shared vision for Europe’s digital future
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, OPENVERSE is dedicated to shaping an inclusive, open, and ethical ecosystem for Virtual Worlds. It champions technological sovereignty, promotes user co-creation, and prioritises accessibility, privacy, and interoperability—laying the groundwork for immersive digital environments that are both trustworthy and human-centric.
A key strategic priority is the development and harmonisation of standards for Virtual Worlds. In a rapidly evolving domain, standards are vital for ensuring compatibility, security, and transparency, while avoiding fragmentation. They enable different platforms, technologies, and stakeholders to collaborate—supporting the creation of scalable, future-proof infrastructures that are open by design and conducive to innovation across borders.
StandICT.eu 2026, also funded through Horizon Europe and coordinated by Maria Giuffrida, adds vital momentum to this mission. The project bolsters Europe’s leadership in global ICT standardisation by facilitating expert participation in international standards bodies, cultivating new talent, and promoting a unified European voice in shaping digital governance. Through its fellowship programme and community-building initiatives, StandICT.eu 2026 ensures that Europe remains a key player in setting the standards for emerging technologies.
Together, OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 aim to support a secure, interoperable, and equitable Virtual Worlds ecosystem rooted in shared European values. Their collaboration is designed to translate research and innovation into tangible outcomes, ensuring that Virtual Worlds evolve in ways that are accessible, transparent, and beneficial to all.
Valuable Collaboration
Through the Memorandum of Understanding, OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 have committed to a coordinated set of joint actions aimed at reinforcing Europe’s leadership in Virtual Worlds and ICT standardisation.
At the heart of this collaboration is the sharing of expertise and best practices. The two projects will establish regular knowledge exchanges centred on emerging standards, immersive technologies, and digital innovation. This reciprocal learning process is intended to broaden the reach and impact of standardisation efforts across both communities.
The partnership also includes coordinated dissemination of results, with harmonised communication strategies to promote key findings, policy recommendations, and technological roadmaps across European and international networks. These efforts will be supported by aligned outreach activities, including newsletters, social media campaigns, and other public engagement initiatives to highlight the role of standards in enabling open, secure, and inclusive virtual ecosystems.
Another important aspect of the collaboration is the interlinking of platforms and resources, allowing stakeholders seamless access to both projects’ repositories and knowledge bases. The projects will also co-organise events and expert workshops, including a high-level session led by OPENVERSE to present the progress of the Working Group on Virtual Worlds to European stakeholders.
A major deliverable will be the establishment of a dedicated Working Group on standardisation for Virtual Worlds. This group will be formed via an open call and a broad consultation process, bringing together experts from diverse fields to shape the future of standards in immersive environments. Both projects will jointly support the facilitation of this group, ensuring it remains an active, inclusive, and well-balanced forum for dialogue and progress.
In addition, the partners will collaborate on a strategic gap analysis to identify underdeveloped or missing areas within existing EU and global standardisation frameworks. This will help guide future policy and funding priorities. To ensure the quality of outputs, both projects have committed to a mutual review process, offering feedback and expertise on key deliverables such as reports, guidelines, and documentation.
Finally, the partnership will place a strong emphasis on amplifying the visibility of project outcomes across stakeholder communities. The aim is to ensure that the importance and relevance of standardisation are widely understood by developers, researchers, policymakers, and end users—contributing to a more interoperable, trustworthy, and human-centric digital future.
As part of their joint commitment to fostering reliable and standards-based Virtual Worlds, OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 will soon launch a Call for Expressions of Interest to engage experts in the field. This call seeks to involve professionals with experience in immersive technologies, virtual environments, and ICT standardisation in shaping a European vision for Virtual Worlds. Selected experts will have the opportunity to collaborate in dedicated working groups, influence policy and technical roadmaps, and play a key role in aligning innovation with interoperability, openness, and ethical design principles.
By joining forces, OPENVERSE and StandICT.eu 2026 are working to embed Europe’s core values—trust, inclusion, openness, and privacy—within the evolving digital landscape.