Instituto Pedro Nunes coordinates the 1st General Assembly of the VR Health Champions project in Italy
General
RTD Laboratories
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On 26 and 27 March 2025, Instituto Pedro Nunes Institute (IPN) coordinated the first General Assembly of the VR Health Champions project, held in Trento, Italy. This meeting brought together 18 partners from 8 European countries to assess the progress of the last six months and define the next steps to boost the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in the health sector.
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Hosted by the Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the assembly provided a platform for in-person discussions and collaborative planning. Participants reviewed achievements, established a roadmap for the next six months and updated risk mitigation strategies. One of the main focuses was understanding the interconnections between the different working groups, ensuring a cohesive approach to advancing the project's objectives.
‘The recent General Assembly in Trento was pivotal for the VR Health Champions project,’ stated Cristiana Costa, European Project Coordinator, Coordinator of the R&D Impact Unit of IPN's LAS. ‘It enabled us to optimise our plans in response to emerging challenges, ensuring the achivements of upcoming milestones. Ultimately, this will allow us to customise innovation support services for SMEs in the health sector in VR (Virtual Reality) / AR (Augmented Reality).’
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As part of this goal and to support activities aimed at creating a gateway to real impact in the fast-growing healthcare XR sector, a Cascade Funding Call will be launched in April.
Viola Keresztes, Project manager from EIT Health InnoStars, highlighted the project’s growing interest within the industry: “We are receiving numerous enquiries from companies eager to join the initiative. The forthcoming Cascade Call will provide an opportunity for potential partners to collaborate with us and support our five flagship SMEs—Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap—that are leading this transformation.”
The project aims to increase the Technology Maturity Level (TRL) of these companies' VR/AR innovations from TRL 6 to TRL 9, paving the way for the adoption of these technologies in the sector.
The Cascade Funding Call will be officially announced in April. Aimed at Small or Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), as defined by the European Commission, with expertise in XR healthcare development, this is an opportunity to contribute directly to accelerating market access for innovative solutions.
We are looking for companies with expertise in integrating advanced sensor technologies for AR headsets, designing AI-driven virtual agents for therapeutic applications, conducting market entry research for VR-based medical training, developing XR-specific clinical risk frameworks, or preparing regulatory documentation for CE-marking of VR tools.
VRHC Open Call 2025 offers an opportunity for companies to deliver high-impact solutions to real industry challenges. Participants will work directly with leading healthcare XR innovators who are actively seeking expertise in this field.
On 26 and 27 March 2025, Instituto Pedro Nunes Institute (IPN) coordinated the first General Assembly of the VR Health Champions project, held in Trento, Italy. This meeting brought together 18 partners from 8 European countries to assess the progress of the last six months and define the next steps to boost the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in the health sector.
Hosted by the Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the assembly provided a platform for in-person discussions and collaborative planning. Participants reviewed achievements, established a roadmap for the next six months and updated risk mitigation strategies. One of the main focuses was understanding the interconnections between the different working groups, ensuring a cohesive approach to advancing the project's objectives.
‘The recent General Assembly in Trento was pivotal for the VR Health Champions project,’ stated Cristiana Costa, European Project Coordinator, Coordinator of the R&D Impact Unit of IPN's LAS. ‘It enabled us to optimise our plans in response to emerging challenges, ensuring the achivements of upcoming milestones. Ultimately, this will allow us to customise innovation support services for SMEs in the health sector in VR (Virtual Reality) / AR (Augmented Reality).’
As part of this goal and to support activities aimed at creating a gateway to real impact in the fast-growing healthcare XR sector, a Cascade Funding Call will be launched in April.
Viola Keresztes, Project manager from EIT Health InnoStars, highlighted the project’s growing interest within the industry: “We are receiving numerous enquiries from companies eager to join the initiative. The forthcoming Cascade Call will provide an opportunity for potential partners to collaborate with us and support our five flagship SMEs—Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap—that are leading this transformation.”
The project aims to increase the Technology Maturity Level (TRL) of these companies' VR/AR innovations from TRL 6 to TRL 9, paving the way for the adoption of these technologies in the sector.
The Cascade Funding Call will be officially announced in April. Aimed at Small or Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), as defined by the European Commission, with expertise in XR healthcare development, this is an opportunity to contribute directly to accelerating market access for innovative solutions.
We are looking for companies with expertise in integrating advanced sensor technologies for AR headsets, designing AI-driven virtual agents for therapeutic applications, conducting market entry research for VR-based medical training, developing XR-specific clinical risk frameworks, or preparing regulatory documentation for CE-marking of VR tools.
VRHC Open Call 2025 offers an opportunity for companies to deliver high-impact solutions to real industry challenges. Participants will work directly with leading healthcare XR innovators who are actively seeking expertise in this field.
