IMPULSE The European XR Accelerator

The IMPULSE Programme is a European support and matchmaking framework for XR and immersive technology projects at different stages of development. IMPULSE connects selected creative and entrepreneurial projects with funders, curators, industry partners, and ecosystem organisations through structured pitching, coaching, and targeted meetings.

IMPULSE was created to respond to a recurring gap identified across the European XR ecosystem: promising projects often struggle not because of a lack of quality, but because of limited access to the right decision-makers at the right moment.

The Programme is designed to:

  • Support XR projects in clarifying their positioning and next steps
  • Facilitate structured encounters with relevant stakeholders
  • Strengthen cross-border connections within the European XR ecosystem
  • Enable projects to move from development to funding, distribution, or deployment

In 2026, the Programme will be produced by XR4Europe and will once again take place during Immersive Tech Week in Rotterdam.

The Call for applications is now open until 13 March 2026.

The program offers two distinct tracks:

Content Creation and Entrepreneurship

CONTENT CREATION

This track supports artists, studios, and creative teams developing immersive works for cultural, artistic, and narrative contexts. Projects typically operate across virtual reality, mixed reality, spatial storytelling, and location-based experiences.

Support focuses on:

  • Curatorial feedback and professional exchange
  • Visibility toward festivals, cultural institutions, and commissioning bodies
  • International networking within the immersive arts ecosystem

Selected projects have historically included immersive narratives, interactive installations, and experimental XR formats presented in cultural and artistic settings.

Past selected projects

DeMaré

A Sensory Journey into the Depths of the Ocean, DeMare’s is a MR VR multiplayer experience that intertwines the universe...

Lumen

Lumen is a coming-of-age fantastic story about the need to find a path in life. The story is metaphorically based...

Oto’s Planet

Oto’s Planet is an interactive experience in stereoscopic virtual reality (6Dof) that places us in the position of an omniscient...

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

This track supports artists, studios, and creative teams developing immersive works for cultural, artistic, and narrative contexts. Projects typically operate across virtual reality, mixed reality, spatial storytelling, and location-based experiences.

Support focuses on:

  • Curatorial feedback and professional exchange
  • Visibility toward festivals, cultural institutions, and commissioning bodies
  • International networking within the immersive arts ecosystem

Selected projects have historically included immersive narratives, interactive installations, and experimental XR formats presented in cultural and artistic settings.

Pasted Selected Entrepreneurship Projects

Cogniclear VR

Cogniclear VR is a brief cognitive assessment test in VR, to detect the earliest forms of cognitive decline. The test...

EmbodyXR

EmbodyXR® is an immersive dance art game blending physical movement and digital storytelling to address anxiety in young people. Player’s...

GN3RA

See English below – GN3RA is een op AI aangedreven technologische laag die avatar-makers, games, virtuele werelden en AR-platforms aanvult,...

A programme shaped by the European XR ecosystem

IMPULSE builds on earlier editions developed within the VRDays and Immersive Tech Week and has evolved into a European programme through collaboration with XR4Europe and its network.

Across its editions, IMPULSE has supported a wide range of XR projects and contributed to the formation of longer-term collaborations. Notably, many of the founding members of the VR Health Champions initiative first connected through the 2023 edition of the Programme, illustrating its role as a catalyst for durable ecosystem partnerships.

Impulse Partners

VRDays Foundation

XR4EUROPE

Virtual Switzerland

IFFR Pro