Leading voices from across Europe's Virtual Worlds ecosystem will headline the seven thematic sessions on 10th September. Registrations remain open.
BRUSSELS, 4th August 2026: Following the announcement of the OPENVERSE Summit 2026, the OPENVERSE consortium today confirmed the first wave of speakers who will lead discussions across the Summit's seven thematic sessions on 10 September in Brussels. The confirmed line-up brings together researchers, standards experts, industry leaders and creative practitioners from across Europe's Virtual Worlds community.
Anne Bajart, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission, will set the stage for the day with a keynote on the EU Strategy for Virtual Worlds: Present and Future, after the welcome address from the OPENVERSE Coordinator Francesco Mureddu.
"With this calibre of speakers confirmed, the OPENVERSE Summit is shaping up to be a genuine working session for Europe's Virtual Worlds community, not just a showcase" said Francesco Mureddu, OPENVERSE Coordinator. "Each of them brings a different piece of the puzzle: standards, ethics, SME innovation, creative practice and together they reflect exactly the cross-sector conversation this Summit was designed to have."
Confirmed Speakers by Session
Future Scenarios 2030–2040
Camille Donegan, Eirmersive, drawing on community-building experience across Europe's immersive technology networks. Patricia Pons Tomas, ITI Valencia, presenting research perspectives on standardisation and technical alignment across the Virtual Worlds landscape.
Standardisation
Alina Kadlubsky, Open AR Cloud, sharing insight on interoperability standards and open spatial computing infrastructure. Christoph Runde, Virtual Dimension Center, speaking to how SMEs can compete and innovate within open Virtual World ecosystems. Luis Bravo Martins, XRSI Europe, bringing expertise in safety, ethics and trust frameworks for immersive environments.
Co-Creation Toolkit
Kathrine Fremming is the Head of Cultural Partnerships at the award-winning XR production studio Khora, where she leads the development of immersive projects at the intersection of art, technology, and business.
The Role of SMEs in shaping open, sovereign Virtual Worlds
Sébastien Nahon, UCL Louvain will bring an academic, foresight-driven perspective on sovereign Virtual World ecosystems. Alexandra Gerard will contribute her expertise as Co-Founder and Co-Director of UnitedXR, one of Europe's largest international XR events, held annually in Brussels.
Sustainable Innovation
Stephan Sorkin, German Association of Virtual Reality contributing a cross-sector view on sustainable growth within the Virtual Worlds ecosystem.
Ethical Virtual Worlds
Abdoul Benamer, CEO and Founder of i-oasis, will share his insights on how ethical virtual worlds should be Their contributions will feed directly into the Summit's core outputs: a converged European narrative on Virtual Worlds, concrete co-creation outputs, and the OPENVERSE Summit Report of policy recommendations and technical priorities.
Openverse Legacy
Consortium partners will present the tools developed in OPENVERSE, which are expected to remain available beyond the project's completion as lasting resources for future reference.
Registration Details
Registrations for the OPENVERSE Summit 2026 remain open. Places are limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged.
Register at: https://open-verse.eu/event/openverse-summit-open-and-co-created-virtual-worlds-for-europe/
Date: Thursday 10 September 2026
Time: 09:00 – 18:00 CEST (Registration from 09:00)
Venue: ALBERT, Mont des Arts 28, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
Organised by: OPENVERSE Coordination and Support Action (CSA)
Programme: 7 thematic sessions + networking lunch, coffee breaks & exhibition
About OPENVERSE
OPENVERSE is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), funded under the Horizon Europe programme and has received funding from SERI, dedicated to fostering open, interoperable, and human-centric Virtual Worlds in Europe. OPENVERSE connects Horizon Europe research projects, industry, policymakers, and civil society to develop shared assets, roadmaps, and recommendations that advance Europe's leadership in Virtual Worlds, Extended Reality (XR) and Web 4.0.
Press Contact
OPENVERSE Communications Team
Email: arta.ertekin@martel-innovate.com
Website: www.open-verse.eu
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Anne Bajart, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission, will set the stage for the day with a keynote on the EU Strategy for Virtual Worlds: Present and Future, after the welcome address from the OPENVERSE Coordinator Francesco Mureddu.
"With this calibre of speakers confirmed, the OPENVERSE Summit is shaping up to be a genuine working session for Europe's Virtual Worlds community, not just a showcase" said Francesco Mureddu, OPENVERSE Coordinator. "Each of them brings a different piece of the puzzle: standards, ethics, SME innovation, creative practice and together they reflect exactly the cross-sector conversation this Summit was designed to have."
Confirmed Speakers by Session
Future Scenarios 2030–2040
Camille Donegan, Eirmersive, drawing on community-building experience across Europe's immersive technology networks. Patricia Pons Tomas, ITI Valencia, presenting research perspectives on standardisation and technical alignment across the Virtual Worlds landscape.
Standardisation
Alina Kadlubsky, Open AR Cloud, sharing insight on interoperability standards and open spatial computing infrastructure. Christoph Runde, Virtual Dimension Center, speaking to how SMEs can compete and innovate within open Virtual World ecosystems. Luis Bravo Martins, XRSI Europe, bringing expertise in safety, ethics and trust frameworks for immersive environments.
Co-Creation Toolkit
Kathrine Fremming is the Head of Cultural Partnerships at the award-winning XR production studio Khora, where she leads the development of immersive projects at the intersection of art, technology, and business.
The Role of SMEs in shaping open, sovereign Virtual Worlds
Sébastien Nahon, UCL Louvain will bring an academic, foresight-driven perspective on sovereign Virtual World ecosystems. Alexandra Gerard will contribute her expertise as Co-Founder and Co-Director of UnitedXR, one of Europe's largest international XR events, held annually in Brussels.
Sustainable Innovation
Stephan Sorkin, German Association of Virtual Reality contributing a cross-sector view on sustainable growth within the Virtual Worlds ecosystem.
Ethical Virtual Worlds
Abdoul Benamer, CEO and Founder of i-oasis, will share his insights on how ethical virtual worlds should be Their contributions will feed directly into the Summit's core outputs: a converged European narrative on Virtual Worlds, concrete co-creation outputs, and the OPENVERSE Summit Report of policy recommendations and technical priorities.
Openverse Legacy
Consortium partners will present the tools developed in OPENVERSE, which are expected to remain available beyond the project's completion as lasting resources for future reference.
Registration Details
Registrations for the OPENVERSE Summit 2026 remain open. Places are limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged.
Register at: https://open-verse.eu/event/openverse-summit-open-and-co-created-virtual-worlds-for-europe/
Date: Thursday 10 September 2026
Time: 09:00 – 18:00 CEST (Registration from 09:00)
Venue: ALBERT, Mont des Arts 28, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
Organised by: OPENVERSE Coordination and Support Action (CSA)
Programme: 7 thematic sessions + networking lunch, coffee breaks & exhibition
About OPENVERSE
OPENVERSE is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), funded under the Horizon Europe programme and has received funding from SERI, dedicated to fostering open, interoperable, and human-centric Virtual Worlds in Europe. OPENVERSE connects Horizon Europe research projects, industry, policymakers, and civil society to develop shared assets, roadmaps, and recommendations that advance Europe's leadership in Virtual Worlds, Extended Reality (XR) and Web 4.0.
Press Contact
OPENVERSE Communications Team
Email: arta.ertekin@martel-innovate.com
Website: www.open-verse.eu
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This work has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).