19-02-2026
News
After its first year, VR Health Champions has moved beyond planning and positioning. Following the launch of two Open Calls, the onboarding of the first cohort of SMEs, and strong interest from the wider ecosystem, the project has laid solid foundations for accelerating the adoption of VR solutions in healthcare. We spoke with Cristiana Costa, Project Coordinator, about key achievements, lessons learned, and priorities for the year ahead.
Cristiana Costa, Project Coordinator
Building the right foundations for VR in healthcare
The first year of VR Health Champions was not about quick wins or showcase pilots. Instead, the consortium focused on a more fundamental objective: establishing a structured and realistic support framework aligned with the technical, clinical and market challenges faced by SMEs developing VR solutions for healthcare.
“After its first year, one of the key achievements of the VRHC project has been the creation of a strong and structured framework designed to support SMEs in the development, validation and scaling of VR solutions for healthcare applications,” explains Cristiana Costa.
Rather than assuming SME needs, the project concentrated on identifying real barriers to adoption — including validation requirements, regulatory considerations, market readiness and access to relevant ecosystems — and translating these insights into targeted and actionable support mechanisms.
From framework to implementation: Open Calls and SME engagement
A key milestone of the first year was the successful launch of VRHC Open Call Round 1. Through the Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) scheme, four SMEs — CRITICAL CATALYST, INOVA+, MetaMedicsVR, and SimHub by Virmed — were selected and onboarded.
“This support enables SMEs to advance their solutions through tailored technical guidance, validation pathways and access to relevant healthcare and innovation ecosystems,” Costa notes.
In parallel, the strong response to the second Open Call confirmed that the project is addressing a clearly identified gap. The high number of applications demonstrated sustained interest from SMEs and a concrete demand for specialised, hands-on support tailored to VR healthcare innovation.
“This strong response has confirmed both the relevance of the project and the clear demand from SMEs for this type of targeted support,” Costa adds.
These activities constitute key project outputs, while also laying the groundwork for longer-term outcomes related to market uptake and healthcare system adoption.
Key lesson learned: adaptability is essential
One of the main challenges encountered during the first year was the fast-evolving nature of SMEs and their VR healthcare solutions. SMEs operate in highly dynamic environments, where technical development paths, business models and validation strategies may shift rapidly in response to market or regulatory feedback.
“Providing support that remains relevant throughout this continuous evolution can be challenging,” Costa acknowledges.
This experience reinforced the need for flexible and iterative support frameworks.
“A key lesson learned is that support frameworks must be adaptable and iterative, allowing the project to respond to changing needs while maintaining a clear strategic direction.”
In operational terms, this translates into continuous dialogue with SMEs, close progress monitoring and regular feedback loops — ensuring that support remains aligned with real development trajectories.
Year two priorities: validation, testing and real-world application
With the framework now established, the second year of VR Health Champions marks a clear shift towards implementation. The focus moves from framework definition to hands-on testing, refinement and application of project tools in real SME development contexts.
“The focus will progressively shift from framework definition towards testing, refinement and the practical application of project tools,” says Costa.
A central priority will be strengthening ongoing interaction with SMEs and end users, recognising that both needs and solutions evolve over time. This approach will ensure that project outputs remain relevant, usable and closely aligned with technical, clinical and market realities.
Scaling impact through interregional collaboration
Looking ahead, the core ambition of VR Health Champions is to advance SMEs along the innovation and market-readiness pathway, in line with the objectives of the I3 Instrument.
This includes the continued implementation of Open Calls, the onboarding of additional SMEs, and the provision of targeted support to help them validate, refine and position their solutions for real-world healthcare deployment.
“A strong focus will be placed on interregional collaboration, connecting SMEs with complementary healthcare, technical and innovation ecosystems across regions, strengthening interregional innovation value chains and reducing fragmentation,” Costa explains.
By facilitating knowledge transfer between regions and leveraging complementary regional strengths, the project aims to accelerate the uptake of mature VR solutions in healthcare and reinforce innovation capacity at European level.
A solid first year — and a clear path forward
After one year, VR Health Champions has demonstrated the value of structured, SME-driven and adaptable innovation support. By focusing on real needs rather than assumptions, the project is now well positioned to translate its first-year outputs into tangible, scalable impact in the years ahead.
