The European Commission has launched the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds, bringing together industry, academia, research organisations and end-users to support research and innovation in this area.
The partnership is a key deliverable of the EU Strategy on Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds. It aims to position the EU as a world leader in virtual worlds technologies. The partnership was signed yesterday by the Commission and the Virtual Worlds Association composed of 18 funding members. The partnership comes at a crucial time: the global market in virtual worlds is expected to grow from €27 billion in 2022 to more than €800 billion by 2030.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said:
“I am delighted to have signed the European Partnership on Virtual Worlds. Europe has everything it takes to be a world leader in the industrial space of virtual worlds. With this partnership we will move to the next gear, fully embracing the opportunities virtual worlds offer us, both for promoting economic growth and tackling important societal challenges. We want to see virtual world environments built around EU values and centred around innovation.”
The partnership will boost research, innovation, standardisation and skills development, and encourage the adoption of virtual worlds. It will play a key part in strengthening Europe’s technological autonomy and ensuring that developments in virtual worlds reflect EU values and fundamental rights. By bringing together all actors of the value chain across domains of applications and virtual worlds technologies, the partnership will strengthen Europe’s ecosystem. The partnership is underpinned by financial support under Horizon Europe of €200 million between 2025-2027, to be complemented with at least €200 million by virtual worlds association members.
More on the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds