• Popular science summary 

VR Health Champions is a three-year European project aimed at accelerating the adoption of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) in healthcare. These technologies can support physicians during medical procedures, enable cognitive assessment, assist neurodivergent users, and provide safe environments for healthcare training. The project focuses not only on technological development but also on bringing existing solutions to a level at which they can be implemented in real clinical practice and introduced to the European market. Five flagship solutions are being developed by dotLumen, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills and Virtuleap.  

  • Project objective

The main objective is to reduce technological, clinical, regulatory and market barriers to the adoption of XR in healthcare, particularly in less-developed European regions. The project supports five flagship solutions in progressing from TRL 6 to TRL 9, moving from mature prototypes towards market-ready technologies.  

  • Project partners 

The consortium comprises 18 partners from 8 EU Member States, bringing together companies, universities, research institutions, healthcare organisations and innovation-support organisations. The project is coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes and co-coordinated by EIT Health InnoStars. Partners include Lodz University of Technology, Medical University of Lodz, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, University of Latvia, Medtronic Portugal and Medtronic Ibérica, Syreon Research Institute, RTE Lab, XR4Europe and Klaster LifeScience Krakow.  

  • Role of Lodz University of Technology 

Through Voxel Research Lab, Lodz University of Technology contributes to the evaluation and refinement of VR/AR solutions developed within the project. The team conducts user studies and evaluates usability, accessibility, comfort, cognitive workload and interaction, identifying barriers that may prevent effective use. The investigated applications include solutions for neurodivergent users, cognitive assessment and detection of cognitive impairment, support for surgical procedures, and healthcare training focused on communication, empathy and difficult conversations.  

  • Expected impact 

VR Health Champions is expected to contribute to safer, more usable and user-centred XR healthcare technologies. Their application may improve diagnostic and treatment processes, support healthcare professionals, increase access to innovative assessment and therapeutic solutions, and enable realistic but controlled professional training. The project also strengthens the European XR ecosystem, supports the commercialisation of SME-developed technologies and facilitates knowledge transfer between European regions.  

  • Funding 

The total project value is approximately EUR 7.88 million, including EUR 5.82 million of EU co-funding under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument of the European Regional Development Fund. Nearly EUR 200,000has been allocated to Lodz University of Technology for its project activities. The project runs from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2027.