News Archives -

IRIS-XR joins forces with European XR projects through the BeyondXR Cluster

Press Release, 22.09.2026

IRIS-XR has joined the BeyondXR Cluster, connecting the Horizon Europe project with a growing community of European research and innovation initiatives working together to advance the next generation of Extended Reality (XR) technologies and applications.

The BeyondXR Cluster brings together a group of pioneering EU research and innovation projects. The cluster aims to reshape learning and training by integrating advanced technologies such as Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and immersive technologies into transformative educational solutions, and to address broader applications of XR and emerging technologies, including cross-industry collaboration, immersive media, manufacturing innovation, creative and cultural advancements, and the social acceptance of XR systems.

By fostering synergies among projects, BeyondXR seeks to revolutionize not only learning but also how XR and AI technologies are applied across various sectors to drive innovation and societal impact.

Bringing IRIS-XR expertise to the European XR ecosystem

Launched in June 2026, IRIS-XR brings together eight partners from five European countries to develop an integrated XR hardware-software platform combining advanced displays, embedded eye tracking, event-based sensing and AI-powered multimodal interaction. The technologies will be validated in three real-world areas: healthcare, aviation and automotive design.

Within the BeyondXR Cluster, IRIS-XR will exchange expertise in addressing some of today’s key XR challenges, including visual realism, interaction latency, energy efficiency, accessibility and user trust. Its strong focus on human-centred XR, trustworthy AI, privacy and safety, together with its work on interoperability and standardisation, provides opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration with other European XR projects.

“Building strong connections across the European XR ecosystem is essential to maximise the impact of our work. Joining the BeyondXR Cluster gives IRIS-XR a valuable opportunity to create synergies with complementary initiatives, exchange knowledge and best practices, engage with a wider community of stakeholders, and explore new opportunities for collaboration that can extend the project’s reach and impact.”

Carmen Serna, IRIS-XR Communication Manager and Innovation Manager at AUSTRALO

Collaboration within the cluster will also help participating projects explore common technological and societal challenges, identify potential synergies and increase the visibility and impact of European research in XR and immersive technologies.

Discover the vision behind IRIS-XR

To learn more about the project, Dr Alain Pagani, IRIS-XR Project Coordinator and Deputy Director at DFKI, shares the vision behind IRIS-XR in a dedicated interview. He explains how XR works today and discusses the project’s goals and ambitions, the limitations it aims to overcome, the challenges ahead and its expected impact. The interview offers a closer look at how IRIS-XR intends to make future XR experiences more realistic, responsive, intuitive and accessible.

IRIS-XR at a glance

Development of a next-generation XR hardware-software platform.
Advanced XR display technologies for enhanced visual quality and lower energy consumption.
Integrated eye tracking and event-based sensing for natural interaction.
AI-powered multimodal interaction that combines gaze, gestures, and contextual information.
Validation in healthcare, flight simulation, and automotive design environments.
Strong focus on accessibility, ethics, privacy, and trustworthy AI.
Contributions to European interoperability and standardisation initiatives.

Project partners: DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUR KUNSTLICHE INTDE (Coordinator), VARJO TECHNOLOGIES, VOXELSENSORS, INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE INFORMATICA, Reiser Simulation and Training, MERCEDES-BENZ AG, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, AUSTRALO