OPENVERSE Summit 2026

The OPENVERSE Summit 2026 will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and civil society representatives in Brussels for Europe’s flagship event dedicated to open, interoperable and human-centric Virtual Worlds.

It aims to reinforce Europe’s role not only as a technological innovator, but also as a global standard-setter shaping the future rules and values of immersive digital environments.

Organised by OPENVERSE, the event will serve as a high-level platform for dialogue and collaboration between EU institutions, Horizon Europe projects, technology providers, investors, ecosystem builders and civil society stakeholders.

The event location, Brussels, is intended to underline the summit’s strategic importance within Europe’s wider digital policy agenda.

OPENVERSE Summit 2026 comes at a time when Virtual Worlds are increasingly seen as a key pillar of Europe’s digital transformation, with growing applications across advanced manufacturing, research and innovation, education, public services, cultural industries and sustainability initiatives.

Europe must now develop a distinct approach to Virtual Worlds as global ecosystems become increasingly dominated by closed and proprietary platforms. The summit will therefore focus on advancing a European vision centred on openness and interoperability, ethical and human-centric design, trust and safety, accessibility, strategic autonomy and long-term competitiveness.

Participants will be invited to contribute to shaping a more open and collaborative virtual future for Europe.

BDVA is leading the input to industry Standards as well as the collaborations and synergies of OPENVERSE, as our association supports the fostering of human-centric interoperability, ensuring an inclusive and transparent virtual realm. We nurture a digital future built on the pillars of innovation, creativity and societal harmony within a unified European framework.

BDVA is honoured to be part of the consortium, along Lisbon Council, IDC, Insight, Martel, Politecnico di Milano, VUB, IDSA, XR4Europe, Trust-IT, COMMpla srl and Inspiring Futures.