VR Health Champions: 7.8 million euro European initiative to revolutionise the health sector with Virtual and Augmented Reality
General
RTD Laboratories
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Coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes, the European project has a strong national presence with the participation of the start-up Virtuleap and the ULS Coimbra.
A new €7.8 million project, called VR Health Champions, aims to accelerate the adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies in healthcare across Europe. The project is co-funded by the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument under the European Regional Development Fund, will run for three years and aims to support SMEs in overcoming market, clinical and regulatory barriers in less developed European regions and boost the advancement of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) applications. Eighteen partners from eight EU Member States, embedded in nine regional ecosystems, will join forces to provide targeted support to five outstanding SMEs, promoting innovation and tools to support diagnosis, therapy and surgery. The project also aims to expand the European AR ecosystem for health by promoting knowledge transfer actions and funding opportunities.
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Unlocking the potential of the European Virtual and Augmented Reality market in healthcare
The European AR/VR market is expected to reach a value of between 35 and 65 billion euros by 2025, and could contribute up to 40 billion euros in gross added value [1]. Europe's AR/VR ecosystem, driven by start-ups and SMEs, is growing, especially in countries such as France, Germany, the Nordic countries, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy. Healthcare, the fourth largest sector for the application of AR/VR technologies (accounting for 11 per cent), has great potential as a means of promoting healthcare support tools, particularly in support of diagnosis, surgery and therapy.
Although AR/VR technologies in healthcare are still at an early stage across Europe - especially in less developed regions - the opportunities are vast. The VR Health Champions project aims to capitalise on this by reducing market, clinical and regulatory barriers, focusing its support on five SMEs and contributing to the creation of future VR/AR innovations in the sector. The project is estimated to cost 7.88 million euros, with 5.82 million euros co-financed by Interregional Innovation Investments (I3), which is part of the European Regional Development Fund.
‘Our aim is not only to support the 5 SMEs in the partnership, but also to scale up AR innovation in healthcare across Europe,’ said Cristiana Costa, Project Coordinator at the Pedro Nunes Institute in Portugal. ‘By involving additional SMEs through cascade funding, fostering cross-sector collaboration and aligning innovations with the needs of users and carers, we aim to enable faster market entry and a greater impact on user care.’ Peter Nagy, from EIT Health InnoStars, emphasised the crucial role of the partnership in boosting these efforts, especially in bridging the technology gap between Europe's least innovative and most advanced regions. ‘Although VR and AR ecosystems are expanding, companies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe face challenges such as limited awareness among healthcare professionals and a shortage of qualified talent. Through this project, and in collaboration with EIT Health network partners, we aim to improve market access conditions by offering targeted support and expertise.’
The five outstanding SMEs are driving this initiative, including Portugal's Virtuleap.
Supported by a diverse network of hospital facilities, research centres, universities and industry leaders from Italy, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Germany, the project seeks to unlock the full potential of VR/AR in healthcare. The project is coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes and co-coordinated by EIT Health InnoStars. Key partners include Klaster Life Science Krakow, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Lodz Medical University, Lodz University of Technology, the University of Latvia and the ULS Coimbra hospital. Industry leaders such as Medtronic Portugal and Medtronic Ibérica SA, the Syreon Research Institute and RTE Lab, along with the European initiative XR4Europe, are also part of the project.
For more information on the VR Health Champions project, visit vrhealthchampions.eu.
The VR Health Champions project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
[1] Ecorys (2021). XR and its potential in Europe. Available at https://xreuropepotential.com/ (Accessed: 23 October 2024)
Coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes, the European project has a strong national presence with the participation of the start-up Virtuleap and the ULS Coimbra.
A new €7.8 million project, called VR Health Champions, aims to accelerate the adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies in healthcare across Europe. The project is co-funded by the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument under the European Regional Development Fund, will run for three years and aims to support SMEs in overcoming market, clinical and regulatory barriers in less developed European regions and boost the advancement of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) applications. Eighteen partners from eight EU Member States, embedded in nine regional ecosystems, will join forces to provide targeted support to five outstanding SMEs, promoting innovation and tools to support diagnosis, therapy and surgery. The project also aims to expand the European AR ecosystem for health by promoting knowledge transfer actions and funding opportunities.
Unlocking the potential of the European Virtual and Augmented Reality market in healthcare
The European AR/VR market is expected to reach a value of between 35 and 65 billion euros by 2025, and could contribute up to 40 billion euros in gross added value [1]. Europe's AR/VR ecosystem, driven by start-ups and SMEs, is growing, especially in countries such as France, Germany, the Nordic countries, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy. Healthcare, the fourth largest sector for the application of AR/VR technologies (accounting for 11 per cent), has great potential as a means of promoting healthcare support tools, particularly in support of diagnosis, surgery and therapy.
Although AR/VR technologies in healthcare are still at an early stage across Europe - especially in less developed regions - the opportunities are vast. The VR Health Champions project aims to capitalise on this by reducing market, clinical and regulatory barriers, focusing its support on five SMEs and contributing to the creation of future VR/AR innovations in the sector. The project is estimated to cost 7.88 million euros, with 5.82 million euros co-financed by Interregional Innovation Investments (I3), which is part of the European Regional Development Fund.
‘Our aim is not only to support the 5 SMEs in the partnership, but also to scale up AR innovation in healthcare across Europe,’ said Cristiana Costa, Project Coordinator at the Pedro Nunes Institute in Portugal. ‘By involving additional SMEs through cascade funding, fostering cross-sector collaboration and aligning innovations with the needs of users and carers, we aim to enable faster market entry and a greater impact on user care.’ Peter Nagy, from EIT Health InnoStars, emphasised the crucial role of the partnership in boosting these efforts, especially in bridging the technology gap between Europe's least innovative and most advanced regions. ‘Although VR and AR ecosystems are expanding, companies in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe face challenges such as limited awareness among healthcare professionals and a shortage of qualified talent. Through this project, and in collaboration with EIT Health network partners, we aim to improve market access conditions by offering targeted support and expertise.’
The five outstanding SMEs are driving this initiative, including Portugal's Virtuleap.
- Virtuleap, a Portuguese SME, develops virtual reality solutions for cognitive assessment, training and monitoring. Its new product, Cogniclear VR, offers cognitive assessment in VR, based on validated neuropsychological tests, and the VR Health Champions project will make it possible to accelerate its testing and validation.
- Lightspace is a Latvian company that develops innovative multifocal displays - unique human-centred 3D visualisation hardware and supporting software to create personalised AR solutions in the healthcare sector.
- MEEVA, from Italy, is innovating therapies for adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders using its Zentastic VR platform. It combines immersive multiplayer games and biometric analyses based on Machine Learning to help therapists control stress levels and improve social skills.
- MedApp, from Poland, has developed CarnaLife Holo, a software approved by the FDA and certified by the CE as a medical device that uses XR glasses for pre-operative planning and surgical support. As part of VR Health Champions, MedApp will advance its solution for CarnaLife Holo MedNav, enabling real-time tracking of surgical tools on the XR. MedApp will cooperate with Lightspace to develop a unique and comfortable solution for surgical navigation and visualisation of hidden anatomical features.
- Metaskills, Polish, is a system centred on the development of transversal skills for managers using VR and GenAI. As part of the VR Health Champions project, it offers training for healthcare professionals, including management skills for leaders and feedback skills for better communication with patients. The platform offers real-time interactions with 3D avatars, simulating authentic conversations and providing instant feedback, similar to a session with a professional trainer.
Supported by a diverse network of hospital facilities, research centres, universities and industry leaders from Italy, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Germany, the project seeks to unlock the full potential of VR/AR in healthcare. The project is coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes and co-coordinated by EIT Health InnoStars. Key partners include Klaster Life Science Krakow, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Lodz Medical University, Lodz University of Technology, the University of Latvia and the ULS Coimbra hospital. Industry leaders such as Medtronic Portugal and Medtronic Ibérica SA, the Syreon Research Institute and RTE Lab, along with the European initiative XR4Europe, are also part of the project.
For more information on the VR Health Champions project, visit vrhealthchampions.eu.
The VR Health Champions project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
[1] Ecorys (2021). XR and its potential in Europe. Available at https://xreuropepotential.com/ (Accessed: 23 October 2024)
