EC launches Partnership for Virtual Worlds

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 on 10 December 2025 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.

The EC stresses that 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.

For more information:

EC - news