Education, Science & Research Track Where rigorous knowledge meets immersive possibility

The classroom is changing. The laboratory is changing. And the research that drives both is changing faster than ever. XR is no longer a novelty in academic and scientific circles – it is becoming a serious, evidence-backed tool for training surgeons, educating neurodivergent learners, and preserving cultural heritage in ways that were simply not possible before.

This track is where theory meets demonstration. Hear from researchers who are building the evidence base, educators redesigning pedagogy from the ground up, and scientists using immersive environments to do things no physical lab could allow. Think VR simulations of intensive care units, projection-based learning rooms for children, and collaborative heritage platforms bridging archives and audiences across borders.

Whether you work in higher education, applied research, institutional training, or edtech innovation – this is the track that shows you what is already working, what the data says, and where the field is heading next.

Top Sessions

  • State of the Union: Education, Science & Research – Carl Boel maps where immersive education actually stands: what works, what’s oversold, and what the sector keeps avoiding.
  • XR Showcase: Clinical & Medical Training – A showcase of exhibitors putting VR at the heart of medical training – from real-time multiplayer simulations to ward-floor scenarios built by and for care professionals.
  • From Archives to Impact: Unlocking Cultural Heritage in the Immersive Age – How XR turns Europe’s forgotten digital archives into living resources for education and creativity, with cases from AI-driven WWII storytelling to the HERIFORGE Horizon Europe project.

Other Relevant Sessions

  • AI, VR & Intimacy: (Where) Do We Draw the Line?
  • From Community to Ecosystem: The XR Landscape from the Lowlands
  • What Actually Works: Real XR Use Cases in Enterprise
  • From Region to Europe: Connecting Health Innovation Ecosystems
  • XR Showcase: Spatial Computing & Digital Twins
  • Unlocking Cultural Heritage for Reuse and Collaboration
  • Educators Meetup
  • EU Project Pitch Lounge
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Top Speakers

Carl Boel

Postdoctoral researcher and lecturer on XR for learning, Ghent University | Founder and Head of Learning, Dexr

Skip Rizzo

Director of Medical Virtual Reality and Research Professor at USC

Maria Le Mura

Founder @Beyond Words VR | Award-winning innovative EdTech | AI, voice & immersion to revolutionize language learning

Markus Zaunschirm

Founder @ atmoky | Spatial Audio & Immersive Tech | From Signal Processing to Company Strategy | PhD, Patents, Funding

Programme Overview

Day 1 – Tuesday 23 June 2026

  • 09:00 Vision & Impact Opening Ceremony (Main Stage)
  • 10:30 Church of VR & XR Expo (Church of VR & XR Expo)
  • 11:00 IMPULSE Pitches – Round Two Entrepreneurship (Main Stage)
  • 13:30 State of the Union: Education (Main Stage)
  • 14:10 From Community to Ecosystem: The XR Landscape from the Lowlands (Main Stage)
  • 15:45 AI, VR & Intimacy: (Where) Do We Draw the Line? (Main Stage)
  • 16:00 What Actually Works: Real XR Use Cases in Enterprise (Second Stage)
  • 16:20 From Imagination to Implementation (Main Stage)

Day 2 – Wednesday 24 June 2026

  • 09:00 Church of VR & XR Expo (Church of VR & XR Expo)
  • 10:45 From Archives to Impact: Unlocking Cultural Heritage in the Immersive Age (Second Stage)
  • 12:00 From Region to Europe: Connecting Health Innovation Ecosystems (Second Stage)
  • 12:30 XR Showcase: Clinical & Medical Training (Main Stage)
  • 13:00 Virtual Worlds Association (Summer Opportunity Lounge 1)
  • 16:15 XR Showcase: Spatial Computing & Digital Twins (Main Stage)
  • 19:00 Our Future on Earth (Second Stage)

Day 3 – Thursday 25 June 2026

  • 09:00 EU Project Pitch Lounge (Summer Opportunity Lounge 1)
  • 09:30 Unlocking Cultural Heritage for Reuse and Collaboration (Main Stage)
  • 10:15 EU Project Pitch Lounge (Summer Opportunity Lounge 1)
  • 11:00 Educators Meetup
  • 11:30 Guided Tour (Church of VR) (Church of VR & XR Expo)
  • 11:30 EU Project Pitch Lounge (Summer Opportunity Lounge 1)
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Also Explore

IMPULSE – The European XR Accelerator

IMPULSE showcases the most promising XR ventures currently in development across Europe. Several this year sit squarely at the intersection of education, healthcare, and applied research.

Relevant projects for this track:

  • The Learning Room (CustomTechnologies Design Lab, Belgium) – A projection-based XR learning platform for neurodivergent children, enabling life-skills training without headsets. Research presented at ICEEL 2025 and United XR 2025.
  • VR ECMO (Leiden University Medical Centre / LAIXR, Netherlands) – An AI-driven VR simulator for ECMO intensive care training, replacing expensive physical equipment with standalone headset-based practice.
  • VorTX (Aumenta Vilanova, Spain) – A SaaS platform empowering educators and organisations to build immersive learning experiences using 3D models and XR simulations.
  • Virtual Public Transport (Changefied B.V., Netherlands) – A full 6DoF VR training platform helping neurodivergent individuals build independence through repeated real-world scenario practice.

Discover IMPULSE


Church of VR

The Church of VR is ITW’s flagship exhibition space – a curated showcase of immersive experiences spanning art, empathy, science communication, and social impact. Open across all three days of the festival.

Relevant projects for this track:

  • EmbodyXR (Mercurial Dance / University of the Creative Arts, UK) – A wellbeing and therapeutic VR experience co-designed with students, researchers, and wellbeing professionals. Funded by Innovate UK.
  • Gut Instinct (Shtik Ltd, UK) – A multi-user free-roam VR experience inside the human digestive system, pioneering a new form of science communication for a new generation of eaters.
  • Empathy Creatures – An AI-powered immersive installation exploring emotional co-regulation and collective healing, developed in collaboration with cognitive and wellbeing researchers.

Explore Church of VR


XR Expo

The XR Expo runs alongside the Church of VR and brings together hardware, platforms, and applied XR solutions from across the sector. An essential visit for educators and researchers looking to see the tools behind the sessions.

Relevant for this track: solutions in clinical training simulation, education platform technology, and research-grade immersive hardware.

Visit the XR Expo

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Top Exhibitors

Provincie Zuid-Holland

City of Rotterdam

Connec2

VR Expert

Flex IT Rent

Sopra Steria

Meta Camera