OPENVERSE 2nd Expert Workshop

OPENVERSE 2nd Expert Workshop: Narrowing down standardisation gaps for the current Virtual Worlds and Web4.0 deployment

OPENVERSE aims at supporting the implementation of the “EU Strategy on the Web4.0 and virtual worlds”, thanks to inclusive, open, sustainable and accessible virtual worlds, meant to enhance the European Union’s technological sovereignty in the global arena. OPENVERSE objectives involve integrating diverse technological forms of expertise, fostering collaborative innovation, and ensuring interoperability, privacy, and security in digital environments. The project is contributing to the EU strategy on virtual worlds by combining user co-creation with technologies, addressing legal and ethical challenges, and guiding future policy and industry standards for globally influential virtual worlds.

On August 28th, an on-line session, as well as in presence within OPENGOV, a Summer School on Digital Government organised by the University of the Aegean, the participants will have the opportunity to examine, prioritise and discuss how virtual worlds may be affected or shaped by the progress made in the standardisation arenas.

The workshop will nurture a necessary and continuing debate on the needs and interests of different experts and communities of interest, from the offer as well as the demand-side. It will also prepare the ground for the next event, on October 14^th, which will focus on the “Digital single market barriers for SMEs and start-ups in relation to Virtual Worlds”, and the foresight exercise to take place in the first trimester 2025. This full OPENVERSE sequence will lead to clear policy recommendations to the EU regarding the dynamic balance to be found between innovation needs and regulatory imperatives, building in particular on more open and sustainable virtual worlds.