The OPENVERSE Summit on Virtual Worlds comes to Brussels in September!

Europe wants to have an ecosystem of Virtual Worlds over which it has genuine control. Data and AI experts from the BDVA community can and should play a central role in this endeavour to ensure such an ecosystem is set up close to practice and proofs itself fit for European industry and overall economy. 

On 10 September, the OPENVERSE Summit, organised in Brussels, will bring together researchers, policymakers and industry representatives to define how the continent can establish a sovereign alternative to the closed platforms – most of which are non-European, that are impacting its industry, public services and culture – and turn Europe’s ambitions into a concrete plan for who owns the immersive infrastructure of the next decade.  

Organised by the OPENVERSE consortium of which BDVA is an active partner and with guidance of the European Commission, the Summit will take place at the ALBERT venue in the centre of Brussels. 

Register Now! (Attendees are strongly encouraged to register early, as places are limited) 

When? Thursday 10th September 2026, 10:00 – 18:00 CEST 
Where? ALBERT, Mont des Arts 28, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium 

Europe at a Crossroads in Virtual Worlds 

Virtual Worlds (VW) are persistent, immersive environments, based on technologies including 3D and extended reality (XR), which make it possible to blend physical and digital worlds in real-time, for a variety of purposes such as designing, making simulations, collaborating, learning, socialising, carrying out transactions or providing entertainment.  

The global virtual worlds market is estimated to grow from around €27 billion in 2022 to over €800 billion by 2030 and is set to transform the business and employment sectors in the EU. As such, Virtual Worlds are rapidly becoming the foundational infrastructure for Europe’s digital transformation, reshaping industry, research, culture, education, public services, and climate resilience. Yet global virtual world ecosystems are increasingly dominated by closed, proprietary platforms controlled by a handful of non-European actors.  

With the adoption of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) in March 2026, strengthening EU industrial competitiveness, capacity, and decarbonisation, Virtual Worlds now have a clear mandate to contribute to Europe’s strategic ambitions.  

The OPENVERSE Summit 2026 is Europe’s moment to rally around a shared, sovereign vision grounded in openness, interoperability, human-centric design, trust, and strategic autonomy. 

What to Expect? 

▸  Future Scenarios 2030–2040: Expert-led exploration of possible future scenarios for sovereign, open Virtual Worlds, drawing on OPENVERSE foresight scenarios and European initiatives.
▸  Standardisation: Latest findings on the Virtual Worlds standardisation landscape, including results from the ViWisso study and OPENVERSE Landscape & Gap Analysis.
▸ Co-Creation Toolkit: Have you heard of the Virtual World platforms: ENGAGE, Arthur, Resonite, Fortnite, Spatial, Rec Room, VRChat, and Sansar? The OPENVERSE project launched a series of participatory co-creation workshops, which led to the development of a toolkit based on lessons learnt from real-world innovation workshops.
▸  OPENVERSE Assets & Legacy: Official presentation of the OPENVERSE tools developed by the OPENVERSE project over the course of its three-year cycle, including the Technological Framework, Virtual Worlds Observatory, the Roadmap and Collective Intelligence Wiki.
▸  SMEs as Innovation Drivers: How small and medium-sized enterprises can shape open, sovereign Virtual World ecosystems but how? This session will be focused on panel discussions and audience exchange.
▸  Sustainable Innovation: Cross-sector lightning talks on how businesses can remain sustainable while growing in the Virtual Worlds ecosystem.
▸  Ethical Virtual Worlds: Exploring how ethical foresight, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration can build inclusive, trustworthy immersive environments. 

Who Should Attend? 

• Horizon Europe project researchers and consortia 

• VR/AR/MR developers and technology providers 

• EU and national policymakers 

• standards bodies including ETSI, CEN/CENELEC, W3C, IEEE, and the Metaverse Standards Forum 

• civil society and cultural actors 

• creative industries 

• Educators 

• investors active in immersive technologies. 

Anticipated Outcomes: 

• a converged European narrative on Virtual Worlds aligned across the Commission, research, and industry 

• identification of shared challenges across sectors  

• concrete co-creation outputs from participatory workshops  

• showcased Horizon Europe innovation 

• an OPENVERSE Summit Report containing policy recommendations and technical priorities for Europe’s Virtual Worlds future. 

For further information about the event and its programme, please visit the OPENVERSE website.