15 projects selected for CIIIC Start

News

05 May 2026

In the first round of CIIIC Start, 15 research projects have been selected for funding. With these projects, CIIIC and Regieorgaan SIA invest in practice-oriented research into the effective and responsible use of immersive experiences (IX) in sectors such as healthcare, education, and culture.

What is CIIIC Start?

Immersive experiences (IX) are experiences in which digital and physical elements come together to form interactive, sensory experiences, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive environments.

CIIIC Start funds research that provides insight into when and how IX works and under what conditions this technology can be responsibly applied. This takes place in various societal domains, including healthcare, education, safety, and social cohesion. The scheme thus contributes to the further development of the IX sector and to sectors that want to use IX.

From Experiment to Applicable Knowledge

The 15 projects provide insights that are directly applicable in practice.

For IX creators, the projects offer insight into what works and what doesn't, reducing development risks and supporting the scaling up of successful applications.
For professionals and IX users in sectors such as healthcare, education, and culture, the research clarifies under what conditions IX contributes to learning, working, and experiencing.
For education and research, the projects strengthen the connection between practice and knowledge development, providing current insights for education.

A total of €719,415 has been awarded. The projects are carried out in consortia of researchers and at least two SME partners, ensuring that the acquired knowledge is directly applicable in practice.

Themes within the Projects

Several recurring themes emerge within the honored projects:

Responsible use and public values: Issues surrounding ethics, inclusivity, and societal impact run through the projects as a common thread.
Effective elements of IX: What makes an immersive experience effective? Projects investigate, among other things, the role of interaction, empathy, and user experience.
Accessibility and application: How can IX be used more broadly and effectively, for example, in museums and education?
Effects and measurements: There is attention to both desired and undesired effects of IX, and to developing shared concepts and measurement methods.

Continuation of the CIIIC Program

The next round of CIIIC Start is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Besides CIIIC Start, the program includes several schemes, including CIIIC Kern, CIIIC PRO, and Learning Communities. These schemes build on the insights from CIIIC Start and contribute to further scaling up research and applications of immersive technology.

Overview of Honored Projects

An overview of all honored projects is listed below:

Visualizing Ethics: Bridging Analog and Digital Immersive Experiences – Lead: Saxion
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Exploring the Potential of VR for Decolonial Storytelling – Lead: Inholland University of Applied Sciences
The Locus Of Fear 7 (TLOF_7) – Lead: Amsterdam UMC
Shared Insights into Interactive and Impactful XR – Lead: University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
Staging Collective VR Experiences – Lead: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Enhancing Authentic Learning in Primary Care: Real-Time Immersive Experiences in Family Medicine Clerkships – Lead: Maastricht University
Towards a Common Language for Immersive Experiences: a Cross-Sector Exploration of Concepts and Measurement – Lead: Zuyd University of Applied Sciences
EGG: How an Immersive Art Experience on Transition Affects Daily Life of People and Groups in a Neighborhood – Lead: HZ University of Applied Sciences
GausScape: Evaluating 3D Gaussian Splatting for Spatial Understanding in Greenhouse Environments – Wageningen University & Research
Experience the Future, Embrace the Change: The Potential of IX to Create and Leverage Teachable Moments and Improve Lifestyle Behaviors in Osteoarthritis Patients – Lead: Tilburg University
ImmersiveValidMovement: Validation of Consumer XR for Responsible Physiotherapy Exercises – Lead: UMC Groningen
Responsible Immersive Support for Firefighter Retreat under Unreliable Spatial and Communication Information – Lead: University of Twente
May I Ask You a Question? A Large-Scale Experiment Examining the Effectiveness of a Multimodal, Conversational Digital Dietitian on Nutritional Knowledge in Virtual Reality – Lead: Wageningen University & Research
From Ethical Dilemmas to Future Thinking: Immersive Technology as a Catalyst for Inclusive Decision-Making – Lead: Fontys University of Applied Sciences
To What Degree Do Interactive Agents Enhance the Willingness-to-Adopt IX? – Lead: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)