Specific support for the Virtual Worlds Partnership and the Web 4.0 initiative (CSA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership) (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-17)

The launch of the co-programmed new European Partnership for Virtual Worlds will help develop and promote a thriving industrial and end-user ecosystem in the EU, covering all the aspects of the virtual worlds value chain. It will also actively engage with people and society at large and provide access to a broader range of resources, including funding, expertise and technology.

This CSA should be prepared, managed and coordinated by the key stakeholders in this field. Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

1. The delivery of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Virtual Worlds in Europe, for useful, open, interoperable, inclusive, sustainable and trustworthy virtual worlds systems and applications, ensuring Virtual worlds reflect EU values and principles.
2. The delivery of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Web 4.0 in Europe leading to an inclusive, trustworthy, interoperable, and human-centric Web 4.0 leveraging open-source commons building blocks enabling new social and sustainability models that respect European values.
3. Established and running European Virtual Worlds Partnership supporting the European Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 community.
4. A strong and competitive ecosystem, with European companies playing a leading role in the adoption and acceptance, and in the development and deployment of Virtual Worlds technologies.
5. Reinforced links among initiatives in virtual worlds in Horizon Europe, Digital Europe Programme, and other programmes at EU, national and regional levels.
6. Widespread awareness and outreach programmes
7. Increased adoption of virtual worlds that are open, accessible and inclusive, interdisciplinary, safe and respect ethical values and European legal framework, including regarding privacy, security in all Member States and Associated Countries
8. Standardisation methods for virtual worlds technologies and in support of the EU regulatory framework.

Scope:

The selected proposal should provide specific support for the coming European Virtual Worlds Partnership.

The selected proposal should:

• Support to the Virtual Worlds Partnership to develop a strong and inclusive network by strengthening the links and promoting collaboration among academia, industry, public actors and end-users, including the major industrial European sectors and all relevant stakeholders, to guarantee strong coordinated efforts toward trustworthy and human-centric virtual worlds for the economy and society. The network will also include national representatives, to link to national programmes and to foster synergies and coordination between the various European, national, public and private initiatives. Such coordination of efforts in research, innovation and expertise will be important for Europe’s leadership in virtual worlds. The objective is to support the community in defining and implementing the Virtual Worlds strategy for research, innovation, and deployment, and support the Partnership in its coordination and support of the community in non-R&D tasks as well.
• Support the development and implementation of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Virtual Worlds (SRIA).
• Support the development of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Web 4.0 in Europe and propose an implementation agenda of a European Web 4.0 strategy for research and innovation by defining the trajectories to drive the evolution of the internet towards Web 4.0. This should include the architectural framework (including standards and protocols) and principles, identifying its main building blocks. The implementation strategy should also identify the technology areas where Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds can benefit from joint developments, reuse of technologies or exchanges.
• Support the emergence of a thriving European ecosystem for Web 4.0 where developers, research teams, industry and startups can boost technological capabilities, accelerate uptake of innovative solutions, and foster a supportive business environment. This community is expected to be involved in the definition of the architectural framework, its main building blocks and the implementation roadmap.
• Support and encourage the adoption of Virtual Worlds in all Member States and Associated Countries, with particular emphasis on geographical aspect and across the value chain.
• Develop and implement outreach programmes aiming at better understanding and awareness of Virtual Worlds including acceptability and trustworthiness, informing about potentialities of Virtual Worlds but also ensuring that public expectations are realistic to avoid backlash in the adoption. Such activities should target in particular the business community, with a particular focus on SMEs, as well as public administrators, citizens and civil society at large.
• Identify ethical, legal, societal and economic aspects of virtual worlds and actions on how to tackle possible issues. Particular attention should be paid to gender, racial, and other biases as well as mitigation measures.
• Support to standardisation in view of boosting virtual worlds industry, creating, and guaranteeing trustworthy and ethical Virtual Worlds, by bringing stakeholders together and, when needed, organise European representation in existing or new standardisation working groups in support of the Commission regulatory framework.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Virtual Worlds and the initiative on Web 4.0.

Proposals are encouraged to build on, or seek collaboration with, existing projects and develop synergies and ensure complementarities with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives and funding programmes relevant for Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds in Horizon Europe, Digital Europe Programme (such as the Common European Data spaces or the Digital Twins) and other programmes (European Innovation Council, Digital Innovation Hubs, European Digital Innovation Hubs, European Digital Infrastructure Consortia, the VR/AR Industrial Coalition, etc). Such synergies and complementarities should be developed through efficient mechanisms (e.g. joint task forces), organisation of joint events gathering projects, etc.

In particular links are encouraged with:

• HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-21: Next Generation eXtended Reality (RIA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-22: eXtended Reality for Industry 5.0 (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-23: Supporting the emergence of an open human-centric Metaverse (CSA)” In view of sharing knowledge and developing synergies, proposals are also encouraged to coordinate, establish links and ensure complementarities with relevant initiatives in this Work Programme, especially:
• HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-11: Open Internet Stack: development of technological commons/open-source 3C building blocks (RIA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-08: Large-scale pilots for supply end-to-end infrastructures integrating device, network computing and communication capabilities for Telco Edge Cloud deployments, as a basis for Connected Collaborative Computing Networks (3C networks) (RIA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-14: Core technologies for virtual worlds (RIA) (Virtual Worlds and Photonics Partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-15: GenAI4EU: Generative AI for Virtual Worlds: Advanced technologies for better performance and hyper personalised and immersive experience (IA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Virtual Worlds Partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-16: Drive the evolution of the internet towards open and interoperable Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds: building blocks in priority areas (RIA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)

Proposals are encouraged also to closely collaborate and build synergies and complementarities with other relevant European Partnerships (such as Data, AI and Robotics; Photonics, the European Blockchain Partnerships); Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, the European Flagships (such as Graphene), the EU supported digital twins initiatives (such as Destination Earth).

The Commission considers that proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations.

Proposals should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and SSH experts, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

All proposals are expected to allocate tasks to cohesion activities with the Partnership on Virtual Worlds and funded actions related to this partnership.