“It’s an exciting time to work in XR right now”

XR technologies transcends mere technology—it’s a gateway to reimagining the limits of art, storytelling, and creativity. It invites both creators and audiences into a realm where imagination takes center stage and becomes reality. Creative and Cultural Industries are uniquely positioned injecting the ideas and innovative thinking needed to shape the future of XR.

Imagine virtual installations that can not only be seen but truly experienced, interactive stories where the audience is not just a spectator but a co-creator, or the possibility of stepping into a painting and becoming part of its vibrant world.

From artists and technologists to designers and developers, a diverse pool of talent has the potential to shape how XR technologies are built, accessed, and utilised.

“It’s an exciting time to work in XR right now. Many questions around standards, workflows and distribution models are still open ended, and we need CCIs to come up with bold ideas that push and shape the boundaries of current thinking”, says Rasa Bocyte
Senior Advisor for Research Collaborations at Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision, an ekip partner.

More prototyping

Organisations such as theatres, broadcasters, libraries or news agencies view XR as an exciting opportunity to introduce new content forms. But they rely on complex and standardised ways of working and it usually requires significant investments over long periods of time to fully integrate any new technologies into their existing operations.

“That’s why the majority of examples we’ve seen so far are one-of experiments or showcases rather than something that is fully part of core activities. I would like to see in the coming years more initiatives prototyping XR distribution and audience development models that go beyond art festivals”, underlines Rasa Bocyte.

Complex funding

Many CCIs consist of small businesses or individual creators who face significant hurdles in accessing funding. Application processes are often complex, requiring partnerships and adherence to restrictive conditions.

”Without a doubt there’s an agreement across the industry that we need to lower barriers for innovation funding – investing months to work on project proposals with a 5-10% success rate is something that only a small fraction of CCIs can afford to do”, says Rasa Bocyte.

While high-impact programmes supporting XR innovation such as Horizon Europe encourage participation of SMEs, the setup of these projects create a huge overhead for smaller companies and might not be the most attractive route to pursue. Rasa Bocyte is happy to see that cascade funding is becoming more and more common as an effective instrument with low entry barriers and immediate results.

“You might have the best creative idea but expressing it in a way that makes it fundable is a totally different matter. And we need to ensure that ideas from small organisations and creative individuals shape the XR innovation landscape”.

In many cases they can provide a more critical or radical perspective that can challenge the status quo.

“I would love to see more low entry funding instruments that enable CCIs to practice and grow their innovation skills and help them find their way into larger innovation ecosystems”.

Local projects

To support the growth of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) in XR innovation, policymakers need to take action on different levels. Big initiatives like Virtual Worlds, CoSTAR, and CIIIC are great for building infrastructure, creating education programs, and driving research. But these larger efforts should also be paired with smaller, local programs.

Local projects can give CCIs access to funding, help them run quick and flexible initiatives, and connect them with their communities. ekip’s LIEPT (hyperlink)model of measuring impact by monitoring portfolios of activities rather than individual projects can help to see how a collection of smaller actions on a local ecosystem level can contribute to long-term impact.

”What is currently lacking is a forum that would support communication between instruments acting at all of these different levels to ensure that they complement and reinforce each other without duplication. That way Europe can make a much more strategic impact”, says Rasa Bocyte.

Open to all

One challenge is making sure XR stays open to all. In the past, big tech companies have dominated distribution, limiting opportunities for smaller creators. This time systems that give everyone—small creators, startups, and local communities— is needed and will give a fair chance to grow and succeed alongside the big players.

“I’d like to see us moving away from one-off installations and festival premiers – they cannot be the main and only way to distribute XR productions. In a sense, we need models that make XR somewhat more commonplace and mainstream”, emphasises Rasa Bocyte.

She sees a lot of potential in reusing already existing brick and mortar infrastructures for this.

“For instance, think about touring a selection of Venice XR productions in regional libraries across Europe. This could hopefully open doors for much more diverse creators and provide sustainable career opportunities in the industry.

Rasa Bocyte, Senior Advisor for Research Collaborations at Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision, an ekip partner.

Collaboration is key

Rapid technological evolution creates gaps in education and skills. There’s also limited awareness of the diverse career paths enabled by immersive media

”Amy Webb refers to the current period as a ‘Technology Supercycle’ – the incessant storm of new technologies makes it impossible to keep up. We should accept that it is impossible for a single organisation to have all the necessary skills that cover everything from the latest technological trends and legal requirements to distribution chains and ethical concerns”.

When it comes to building strong ecosystems, collaboration is key.

“If we think about ecosystem building, different actors within an ecosystem should be able to offer different types of skills and engage in activities that support skill building and knowledge exchange. A combination of voucher schemes, mobility exchanges and good old fashion networking can go a long way to support this”, says Rasa Bocyte.

Critical issues

The years to come hold immense potential for XR in the Cultural and Creative Industries. As standards, workflows, and distribution models continue to evolve, the field is ripe for innovation. But Rasa Bocyte.

also emphasises that it is important to listen to XR skeptics. Critical issues like digital divides, accessibility barriers, environmental impact, and representation. These challenges demand serious attention and concrete strategies to ensure a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable future for immersive media.

“I’m a strong believer that we should not give into the XR hype – we risk being caught in the ‘innovation for innovation’s sake’ race that contributes nothing to social and climate justice”.