Core technologies for virtual worlds (RIA) (Virtual Worlds and Photonics Partnerships)

The EU's Horizon Europe program has launched a funding opportunity under the call HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-14, focusing on core technologies for virtual worlds. This initiative seeks to enhance interaction and immersion in virtual realities through Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). The primary objective is to advance technologies that improve the realism and functionality of virtual world applications at both the application and component levels.

Proposals are expected to align with either Area A or Area B. Area A emphasizes multimodal interaction to create more immersive experiences by integrating technologies such as haptics, force-feedback, and sensory modalities like touch and smell. Area B concentrates on innovative photonics technologies aimed at improving projection, sensing, and perception, targeting advancements in microdisplays and sensing devices with better performance metrics including resolution, efficiency, and accuracy under various conditions.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, and public-private partnerships capable of conducting research and innovation. Collaboration across diverse disciplines, including social sciences and humanities, is strongly encouraged to enhance the societal impact of projects. The grant supports a consortium model, requiring multiple partners from various EU member states or associated countries.

The funding structure allows for individual project contributions ranging from €5 million to €6 million, with a total budget of €43 million for the call. The application process is single-stage, with a submission deadline set for October 2, 2025. An estimated 7 grants are expected to be awarded, focusing on refining technologies while adhering to principles of inclusivity, privacy, and safety. Proposals will undergo evaluation based on defined criteria, and collaboration with existing initiatives is encouraged.

Overall, this initiative targets the development of realistic, immersive virtual world technologies, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to ensure the integration of ethical considerations and technological advancements. The call outlines specific requirements and resources available to assist applicants throughout the proposal process and project lifecycle.

The EU's Horizon Europe program is offering funding opportunities for projects aimed at developing core technologies for Virtual Worlds, focusing on enhanced interaction and immersion. This initiative is a joint effort between the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the Photonics Partnership. The call, HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-14, specifically targets Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

The primary goal is to improve the realism and performance of virtual world technologies at both the application and component levels. Proposals should clearly identify whether they focus on Area A or Area B, with special attention given to transdisciplinary research that promotes the uptake of ethical and safe solutions.

Area A focuses on better and more realistic immersion through multimodal interaction. Projects in this area should aim to improve the multimodal immersion experience by combining eXtended Reality (XR) with advanced technologies. This includes enhancing the synchronization and integration of different modalities such as haptics, force-feedback, vision, touch, smell, and speech within XR applications.

Area B focuses on innovative photonics technologies for projection, sensing, and perception in virtual worlds. Projects in this area should aim to improve the performance of microdisplays or sensing devices used in Virtual Worlds by utilizing innovative Optics and Photonics technologies. This involves enhancing microdisplays for power consumption (less than 1 mW), device efficiency, resolution (8K and beyond, pixel densities greater than 10kppi), high dynamic range (HDR), color gamut, contrast, and refresh rate. It also includes improving the accuracy of sensing devices under diverse lighting conditions and with different eye physiologies.

Key technological areas for Area B include the design and fabrication of suited waveguide optics, holographic elements, diffractive optics, reflective light guides, freeform optics (including micro-optics), or meta-surfaces with optimal optical properties and behavior. These technologies should support a wide field of view (FoV), be lightweight and safe for users, provide excellent color uniformity and high brightness efficiency, be scalable to large volumes, cost-effective, and seamlessly integrate into mixed-reality devices without increasing bulk or reducing comfort.

For both areas, the quality of integration from both user and technological perspectives is crucial. Proposals should focus on human perception and experience, considering subjective, objective, and functional perspectives. They should also adhere to EU values such as inclusivity, privacy, security, safety, and data protection.

Consortia should develop reliable, robust, and interoperable solutions, leveraging existing open standards and technologies in eXtended Reality while contributing to ongoing standardization efforts. Applications should be tested in real-world environments and targeted towards at least one application domain.

The indicative project duration is 36 months, although other durations may be considered. Proposals should involve Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and experts to enhance the societal impact of the research.

This topic is a joint effort between the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the Photonics Partnership. Proposals are expected to allocate tasks for cohesion activities with both partnerships, including the CSA HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-17 initiative.

The call is a single-stage process with a planned opening date of June 10, 2025, and a deadline of October 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this topic is 43,000,000 EUR, with an indicative contribution ranging from 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR per grant. Approximately 7 grants are expected to be awarded.

Admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, and the legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form, available in the Submission System.

To ensure a balanced portfolio, grants will be awarded to applications based on ranking and to at least two of the highest-ranked proposals within each area (A and B), provided they meet all thresholds.

Application forms, evaluation templates, guidance documents, and model grant agreements are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Additional support resources include the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. Partner search tools are also available to help find collaborating organizations.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to advance virtual world technologies by supporting projects that enhance multimodal interaction, improve photonics-based display and sensing devices, and address human-centric and ethical considerations. It encourages collaboration between various disciplines and stakeholders to create virtual world applications that are more realistic, immersive, and widely adopted across different sectors. The initiative is structured to ensure a balanced portfolio of projects, with dedicated support and resources available to applicants throughout the proposal and project lifecycle.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Given the emphasis on virtual worlds and photonics, applicants from the technology, engineering, and scientific sectors are likely to be well-suited. The call also mentions the importance of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, suggesting that SSH experts and organizations are also eligible and encouraged to participate.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant. The call specifies HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), all of which are grant-based funding schemes within the Horizon Europe program.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium. The text mentions that "The Consortium should pay attention to developing solutions that are reliable, robust and interoperable" and "Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal." This indicates that multiple applicants forming a consortium are required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility primarily focuses on EU member states and associated countries. The call mentions "non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding" but indicates that some may have specific provisions. Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide provide further details on eligible countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors:
Digital Technologies: Specifically, core technologies for Virtual Worlds, eXtended Reality (XR), and Web 4.0.
ICT (Information and Communication Technology): Focus on multimodal interaction, immersion, and related applications.
Photonics/Optics: Development and integration of advanced optics and photonics technologies for display and sensing devices.
Technology and Innovation: Aimed at increasing awareness, acceptance, and adoption of virtual worlds applications across various sectors.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Integration of SSH disciplines to enhance the societal impact of research activities.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions "EU" and "non-EU/non-Associated Countries". Therefore, the regions mentioned are EU member states, EU associated countries, and non-EU/non-associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on whether the action is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) or an Innovation Action (IA). RIAs typically support activities from research to demonstration (TRL 3-6), while IAs focus on demonstration, piloting, and validation (TRL 5-8). The call also supports Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), which are geared towards networking, coordination, and dissemination activities.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary widely depending on the specific topic and type of action (RIA, IA, CSA). The budget overview provides a detailed breakdown:
HORIZON-RIA: €8 million to €85 million total budget per topic, with individual grants ranging from approximately €1 million to €45 million.
HORIZON-IA: €20 million to €45 million total budget per topic, with individual grants ranging from approximately €4 million to €9 million.
HORIZON-CSA: €1 million to €4.5 million total budget per topic, with individual grants ranging from approximately €1 million to €4.5 million.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process. The call specifies a planned opening date and a deadline date for submissions.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research, innovation, and coordination activities.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process. Applicants submit a full proposal by the deadline, which is then evaluated.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-14, focuses on "Core technologies for virtual worlds" and is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) implemented through a joint effort from the co-programmed European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the Photonics Partnership. The call aims to develop core technologies for Virtual Worlds, enhancing interaction, immersion, and realism at both application and component levels. It is structured into two main areas: Area A, focusing on multimodal interaction for better immersion, and Area B, concentrating on innovative photonics technologies for projection, sensing, and perception. Proposals should target either Area A or Area B, with special attention given to transdisciplinary research. The scope encompasses a wide range of technologies, including haptics, optics, photonics, algorithms, and display/sensing devices, with a strong emphasis on human perception, ethical considerations, and interoperability. The call encourages consortia to leverage existing open standards and involve Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) expertise to maximize societal impact. The total budget for the topic is €43 million, with individual projects expected to have durations around 36 months. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of October 2, 2025. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities within the EU and associated countries. The funding is provided in the form of grants.