Digital Twins, XR, Web 4.0 building blocks for Virtual Worlds

OPENVERSE, in its work as a Coordination and Support Action, is pulling together a community of key stakeholders engaged in the research, testing, experimentation, development, promotion and uptake of Virtual Worlds enabling technologies. The community of stakeholders is organised according to different building blocks, as outlined by the European Commission’s Staff Working Document: information, insights and market trends on web 4.0 and virtual worlds (2023).

In this workshop, OPENVERSE delves into Digital Twins, Extended Reality (XR), and Web 4.0 as core pillars shaping the next evolution of Virtual Worlds. Digital Twins provide real-time, data-driven replicas of physical systems, enabling simulation, monitoring, and optimization across interconnected environments. XR extends these capabilities into immersive, interactive experiences that blur the boundaries between the physical and virtual realms. Web 4.0, as the intelligent and decentralized evolution of the web, serves as the connective tissue—enabling semantic interoperability, autonomy, and user-driven control across platforms.
Together, Digital Twins, XR, and Web 4.0 drive the creation of immersive, intelligent, and interconnected Virtual Worlds, where digital experiences reflect, enhance, and evolve alongside reality.

Participants will explore how these architectures, frameworks, and toolchains support the creation, operation, and governance of Virtual Worlds across use cases with the aim of:

• Gather insights into the OPENVERSE Technological Framework, particularly regarding how those technologies shape Virtual World infrastructures and integration across building blocks.
• Foster collaboration among European initiatives advancing VWs, promoting synergies and knowledge exchange with other OPENVERSE assets, such as the Observatory.

To ensure broad participation, OPENVERSE will invite:

• Identified EU-funded initiatives in its stakeholder network already deploying Digital Twins, Extended Reality (XR), and Web 4.0 solutions within Virtual World use cases; and
• New contributors, through an open call for presentations, showcase architectures, blueprints, standards, and lessons learned from pilots, testbeds, and theoretical frameworks.

Outcomes from the event will be synthesised into a consolidated report feeding directly into the OPENVERSE Technological Framework and related instruments, helping Europe advance toward trusted, human-centric Virtual Worlds.

This workshop, last one planned in the series of workshops addressing the several building blocks will be of particular relevance, given also the selection of building blocks that are largely defining the core of Virtual Worlds.

To select the speakers, OPENVERSE is on one hand inviting already identified initiatives part of its network of Stakeholders with focus on Digital Twins, Extended Reality (XR), and Web 4.0 and with use cases linked or relevant to VWs. On the other hand, a call for contributions will be opened and circulated on social media channels and a selection of presentations will be done based on their thematic relevance, and — where applicable — their involvement in Virtual World pilots or demonstrators, even if Virtual Worlds are not their core focus.

Project activities

The workshop will start with a short introduction by the OPENVERSE project, giving participants an overview of the agenda and the reason why the workshop was organised.

After the introduction, the OPENVERSE team in charge of drafting the Technological Framework will present it in detail. The introduction will then be followed by pitches by selected participants and invited speakers. Furthermore, the floor for discussions will be open and the organisers will moderate and address targeted questions that will spark discussion around key aspects that may require future improvements of the Technological Framework.

The workshop organisers will try to ensure that an equal geographical and expertise distribution will be represented.

Registrations are now open here