MAX-R is a 30-month IA that will define, develop and demonstrate a complete pipeline of tools for making, processing and delivering maximum-quality XR content in real time. The pipeline will be based on open APIs, open file and data transfer formats to encourage development and support the integration of new open source and proprietary tools. MAX-R builds on recent research and advances in Virtual Production technologies to develop real-time processes to deliver better quality, greater efficiency, enhanced interactivity, and novel content based on XR media data. The interdisciplinary Consortium of eleven partners from five countries covers the chain from technology development and product innovation to creative experiment and demonstration, and from XR media creation to delivery to the final consumer. It is built around Europe’s leading media technology developers, together with creative organisations operating in AR/VR/MR, Virtual Production, interactive games, new media, TV, video and news, multimedia and immersive performance.

PRESENT is a proposal for a three-year Research and Innovation project to create virtual digital companions––embodied agents––that look entirely naturalistic, demonstrate emotional sensitivity, can establish meaningful dialogue, add sense to the experience, and act as trustworthy guardians and guides in the interfaces for AR, VR and more traditional forms of media. There is no higher quality interaction than the human experience when we use all our senses together with language and cognition to understand our surroundings and––above all—to interact with other people. We interact with today’s ‘Intelligent Personal Assistants’ primarily by voice; communication is episodic, based on a request-response model. The user does not see the assistant, which does not take advantage of visual and emotional clues or evolve over time. However, advances in the real-time creation of photorealistic computer generated characters, coupled with emotion recognition and behaviour, and natural language technologies, allow us to envisage virtual agents that are realistic in both looks and behaviour; that can interact with users through vision, sound, touch and movement as they navigate rich and complex environments; converse in a natural manner; respond to moods and emotional states; and evolve in response to user behaviour. PRESENT will create and demonstrate a set of practical tools, a pipeline and APIs for creating realistic embodied agents and incorporating them in interfaces for a wide range of applications in entertainment, media and advertising. The international partnership includes the Oscar-winning VFX company Framestore; technology developers Brainstorm, Cubic Motion and IKinema; Europe’s largest certification authority InfoCert; research groups from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Universität Augsburg and Inria; and the pioneers of immersive virtual reality performance CREW.

ECLIPSE is a collaborative project aimed at combating hate speech and mis/disinformation both online and offline across Europe, combining advanced technologies with insights from social, behavioural, criminological, and legal sciences. The project partners with law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, and international bodies will develop innovative tools and strategies for analysing harmful content and deploying counter-narratives. These tools include natural language processing, social network analysis, and natural language generation technologies. In addition, ECLIPSE enhances the engagement of target groups through innovative training methods like digital storytelling, gamification, and augmented/extended reality, designed to increase knowledge and awareness about the societal impacts of these phenomena. These efforts aim to foster resilience among professionals and citizens, helping them identify and address hatred and fake news in both virtual and real-world contexts. A key objective of ECLIPSE is to equip stakeholders with validated and modern tools, methods, and curricula, enabling them to effectively tackle hate speech and mis/disinformation in a culturally sensitive manner. The project also seeks to standardise European approaches for gathering data and implementing countermeasures, all while respecting fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and privacy. Finally, ECLIPSE will produce policy briefs with actionable recommendations for European and national policymakers, supporting them in countering hate speech and fake news online and offline. Through collaboration with networks across Europe, ECLIPSE will work in multiple languages and towards scalable, sustainable solutions to combat these societal challenges at the national, EU, and global levels. The project's impact will be felt through pilots in Belgium, Germany/Austria, Italy, the UK, Spain, and Türkiye with a vision for broader adoption across Europe and beyond.