Developing And Demonstrating Core Technologies For Virtual Worlds And Web 4.0 (IA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01
- Programme
- DIGITAL
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- January 15, 2026
- Deadline
- April 15, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €1,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €1,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €1,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01HORIZON-CL4-2026-04Computer graphics, computer vision, multi media, computer gamesHuman computer interaction and interface, visualization and natural language processingWearable technologies
Description
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- eXtended Reality (XR), immersive and interactive technologies that bring full integration of Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 technologies to the next level.
- The objective is to pave the way for the next generation of virtual worlds, enhancing immersive visualisation and interaction experience, immersing users at the centre of the Virtual Worlds applications, enabling seamless interaction and data exchange
The next generation of Virtual Worlds technologies will propose a deeper and closer-to-reality immersion, stimulating all senses to accurately capture and interpret user movements and environmental data, while providing realistic multi-modal tactile and kinesthetic haptic and force-feedback, retroactions for engaging and lifelike experiences. Real-time user interactions should be favoured by minimizing latency, increasing responsiveness and naturalness of interactions. The developed technologies will also dynamically respond to users’ inputs and environmental changes.
Scope:Proposals will focus on and address the following:
- Asset and scene creation technology evolving in parallel to enable the generation of a human-centric, highly detailed and realistic environments to interact with,
- Use of Generative AI for more personalised and natural experiences,
- Visualisation and interaction through innovative immersive technologies to enhance the user experience through a seamless, inclusive and immersive involvement,
- Full integration and interoperability of XR and immersive domains and applications (including e.g. Digital Twins),
- Integration of XR applications and components with Telco-Cloud-to-Edge Continuum components, addressing challenges related to resource availability and reliability, while also balancing the requirements of rapid response time, spatial computing, contextual awareness and smart network functions.
The proposals should also advance on the development of technological standards, common data formats and protocols that would enable real-time, seamless and intuitive user-interaction and exchange of information between different systems and platforms in the future, as stepping stones towards Web 4.0.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Proposals will include demonstrators of the developed technologies in real-world scenarios, illustrating the usefulness and efficiency of emerging technologies in Virtual Worlds in illustrative scenarios in the industrial and societal contexts, exploiting the Telco-Cloud-to-Edge Continuum and the 3C pilots on converged Telco Edge Cloud Infrastructure.
Proposals should demonstrate future synergies, provisions for future collaboration, and complementarity with other relevant actions carried out under call HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08: Demand-side 3C pilot demonstrators on converged Telco Edge Cloud Infrastructure. We consider that proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations.
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Virtual Worlds.
Destination & Scope
Through the European Partnership on Virtual Worlds, Europe will drive investment in advanced hardware, immersive interaction, and seamless integration across the Telco-Cloud-to-Edge continuum, enabling lifelike multisensory experiences and fully interoperable platforms. These efforts will enhance Europe’s capacity to innovate, deploy, and scale trustworthy virtual worlds, thereby strengthening competitiveness, resilience, and alignment with EU values.At the same time, a robust Web 4.0 architectural framework — underpinned by open-source solutions and shared standards — will be essential to ensure interoperability, decentralisation, and trust. By deepening Europe’s engagement in international digital standardisation, the Union will help shape global norms in line with its strategic interests, technological sovereignty, and core values.
Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
2. Eligible Countries
Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and address any strategic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and high-risk dependencies which put at risk the attainment of its ambitions. For this reason, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In addition, entities established in third countries which may become associated to Horizon Europe during 2026 and 2027 may be eligible to participate in this topic if the third country is identified for this topic as an eligible country in the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe at the time of submission of the application[[See the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf.]]. In any case, the association agreement to the Programme must apply by the time of the signature of the grant agreement.
For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity, may not participate in the action unless it can be demonstrated, by means of guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their participation to the action would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment within the meaning of ‘restrictions for the protection of European communication networks’ (or entities fully or partially owned or controlled by a high-risk supplier) cannot submit guarantees.[[ The guarantees shall in particular substantiate that, for the purpose of the action, measures are in place to ensure that: a) control over the applicant legal entity is not exercised in a manner that retrains or restricts its ability to carry out the action and to deliver results, that imposes restrictions concerning its infrastructure, facilities, assets, resources, intellectual property or know-how needed for the purpose of the action, or that undermines its capabilities and standards necessary to carry out the action; b) access by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity to sensitive information relating to the action is prevented; and the employees or other persons involved in the action have a national security clearance issued by an eligible country, where appropriate; c) ownership of the intellectual property arising from, and the results of, the action remain within the recipient during and after completion of the action, are not subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries or non-eligible country entity, and are not exported outside the eligible countries, nor is access to them from outside the eligible countries granted, without the approval of the eligible country in which the legal entity is established.]]
Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Ownership Control Declaration Annex (new template to be added in January 2026)
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Developing And Demonstrating Core Technologies For Virtual Worlds And Web 4.0 (IA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.