NEWS

THE VR/AR SECTOR REPORT IS HERE

Our society is experiencing a rapid digitisation. Processes, objects and environments are becoming more and more virtualised. Allowing reality to be modified, simulated, enriched or even replaced by a virtual reality that provides a hyper-real experience.

Immersive content plays an increasingly important role in our daily lives. With the VR/AR sector report we want to introduce the world to this technology. What are its implications and which companies are working on it? We visualize the Dutch VR/AR ecosystem.

Complex challenges

In addition to the informative side, we want to inspire you to come up with solutions for complex, social challenges together. Complex challenges, such the rapid training needs in healthcare, learning how to apply for a job, remotely repairing machinery or training for hazardous situations, all benefit from these types of immersive experiences. In addition, there is a high demand for cultural immersive experiences that entertain, connect and expand our worldview.

Developing these solutions, the content, is the creative industries’ forte. CLICKNL, the top sector institute for the creative industries, is therefore exploring the possibilities for a programme to strengthen the development and application of immersive content. This concerns all content (image, sound, touch, smell, taste, but also new ways of storytelling) that is needed to create an impactful experience using existing and future immersive technologies (such as VR, AR and XR).

The world is ready

The technology is ready and there are many opportunities. The European Commission indicated in its 2021 Annual Single Market Report on the Cultural and Creative Industries that Immersive Content has the potential to add €1.3 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Europe has an advantage here thanks to its great cultural diversity and large number of highly educated people. But it is important that companies scale up and look beyond their national borders to strengthen their individual positions as well as the industry as a whole.

This report shows that the Netherlands is ready. We’ve been impressed by the great diversity of solutions and the growth of specialised companies providing healthcare solutions, technical training or soft skill training. At the same time, we also see a need for further collaboration between content creators and application domains. The CLICKNL Immersive Content programme contributes to this by sharing knowledge through living labs, and by supporting programme lines that organise demand-driven makers around important social challenges.

The VR/AR sector report is a co-production of CLICKNL and the Dutch chapter of the VR/AR Association.

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