2026 Focus Areas Virtual Humans, Digital Twins & A Beating Heart

The lens through which ITW 2026 explores the future of immersive technology

Across 6 key Focus Areas, ITW connects creativity and innovation with business value, societal impact, and European digital sovereignty — from industry and healthcare to culture, public services, and defence.

1 Virtual Humans & AI Agents

Human–AI collaboration that transforms work.
From digital assistants and avatars to generative agents, companies use virtual humans toimprove customer service, onboarding, operations and collaboration. This Focus Area shows how organisations integrate human-like AI into teams, products and services — ethically, securely and at scale. It also explores dual-use applications for defence, safety and training, and how Europe can lead in building trustworthy, human-centred AI systems.

2 Digital Twins, Simulation & the Industrial Metaverse

Simulate, optimise, and transform real-world operations.
Factories, logistics networks, ports and energy systems are going virtual. Through digital twins, simulation platforms and the emerging industrial metaverse, organisations design better products, predict failures, train workers and make faster decisions — reducing costs, risks and carbon footprints. This Focus Area highlights applications across manufacturing, security and defence, and explores how digital twins are shaping strategic autonomy and Europe’s industrial leadership.

3 Immersive Health & Well-Being

Better care through virtual patients, simulation and training.
From surgery planning and rehabilitation to mental health and preventive care, immersive tech improves outcomes and patient experience. Learn how hospitals, med-tech firms and startups apply XR, simulation and digital twins to transform healthcare — and how workforce training and certification are being redefined in a human-centric, data-secure environment.

4 Connected Cities & Public Services

Building smarter, more inclusive public spaces.
Cities and governments use immersive tools to plan infrastructure, engage citizens, train employees and improve safety. Discover how virtual platforms, simulations and digital twins support climate adaptation, crisis response and security planning — while strengthening European digital sovereignty and public trust.

5 Next-Gen Storytelling & Experiences

New formats for culture, media and audience engagement.
From AI-generated performances to spatial entertainment and interactive museums, this Focus Area explores how immersive technologies unlock new markets and business models for media, culture and the creative industries. It also investigates dual-use potential for training, simulation and defence communication — where creativity meets strategic impact.

6 Ethics, Skills & Sovereignty

Building Europe’s trusted immersive future.
Innovation must reflect European values. This Focus Area focuses on frameworks for responsible technology — from impact assessment and accessibility to workforce skills, defence-readiness and dual-use strategies. It explores how Europe can lead in setting standards, shaping regulation and training a future workforce that keeps people — the beating heart — at the centre of the immersive revolution.

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