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European Partnership for Virtual Worlds

26 December 2025

European Partnership for Virtual Worlds: A New Frontier for Health, Wellbeing and Innovation in Europe

The European Commission has taken a significant step towards shaping the future of immersive technologies with the launch of the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds. Announced on 10 December, the partnership brings together industry, academia, research organisations and end-users to accelerate innovation, develop skills and scale immersive applications across key sectors – including healthcare, education, manufacturing, and culture.

For the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS) community, this initiative represents a pivotal moment. Virtual worlds are no longer a futuristic concept; they are fast becoming practical tools to improve health outcomes, strengthen workforce skills, and create more resilient and sustainable systems.

What are Virtual Worlds – and Why Do They Matter?

Virtual worlds are persistent, immersive digital environments built on 3D, extended reality (XR) and advanced simulation technologies. They enable people to interact, work, learn and create in entirely new ways.

Their transformative potential is already evident across multiple domains:

  • In healthcare, virtual worlds can support faster and more accurate diagnosis, enable immersive medical training, assist with surgical planning, and provide new forms of rehabilitation and mental health therapies.
  • In education, they offer safe, interactive 3D learning environments that improve access and engagement.
  • In industry and engineering, digital twins and virtual prototyping allow complex systems to be tested before they are built, reducing costs and environmental impact.
  • In culture and creativity, immersive experiences make museums, heritage and performing arts accessible to wider and more diverse audiences. The scale of opportunity is substantial. The global market for virtual worlds is forecast to grow from €27 billion in 2022 to over €800 billion by 2030, underscoring why Europe is moving decisively to secure leadership in this space.

The European Partnership for Virtual Worlds

The partnership was formally signed by Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, and Matthieu Worm, President of the Virtual Worlds Association.

Its ambition is clear: to ensure that Europe fully benefits from virtual worlds by promoting excellence in research, innovation, standardisation and skills, while encouraging the deployment of human-centric, ethical and inclusivevirtual environments.

Under the current Multiannual Financial Framework, the European Commission plans to invest up to €200 million in research and innovation activities. This will be matched by at least €200 million from members of the Virtual Worlds Association between 2025 and 2030 – a strong signal of public-private collaboration at scale.

The founding members, led by Siemens, include a broad cross-section of Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem, spanning industry leaders, universities, research institutes and technology organisations across multiple Member States.

As Matthieu Worm highlighted:

“Virtual worlds are not just entertainment – they are powerful tools to tackle Europe’s most pressing challenges and solve real-world problems.”

Implications for Health and Wellbeing

From a WHIS perspective, the most compelling opportunities lie in healthcare and wellbeing. Virtual worlds can:

  • Enhance clinical training through realistic VR simulations
  • Improve patient outcomes via personalised rehabilitation and therapy environments
  • Support preventive health and wellbeing, including mental health, social connection and community-based care
  • Enable cross-border collaboration, data sharing and innovation aligned with Europe’s health priorities Crucially, the partnership places strong emphasis on ethical, legal and societal issues, sustainability, and governance – all essential considerations as immersive technologies become embedded in health systems.

A Foundation for Web 4.0

The Virtual Worlds Partnership is a cornerstone of the EU’s broader Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds Strategy, published in July 2023. This strategy is built on four pillars:

  1. Empowering people and reinforcing skills
  2. Supporting businesses
  3. Supporting government
  4. Promoting openness and global governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds It was informed by citizens’ panels involving 150 EU citizens, ensuring that public values and expectations shape Europe’s digital future.

Looking Ahead

For WHIS and the wider global health innovation community, the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds signals a clear intent: Europe aims to lead not only technologically, but also ethically and socially, in the development of immersive digital environments.

As healthcare systems face growing pressures from ageing populations, workforce shortages and rising costs, virtual worlds offer practical, scalable tools to support prevention, precision health and person-centred care.

The challenge – and opportunity – now lies in translating this strategic ambition into real-world impact for patients, professionals and communities.

“Innovation isn’t about technology alone — it’s about how we apply it to solve real human challenges. Immersive technologies like virtual worlds can amplify our ability to deliver preventive, personalised health and wellbeing at scale, empowering communities and strengthening systems across Europe and beyond.” — Gareth Presch, CEO, WHIS

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