The St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences welcomed partners from across Europe for the official kickoff of LEAPXR – Linking Education and Applied Practice for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in eXtended Reality. The project is co-funded by the EIT Higher Education Initiative and supported by EIT Health, aiming to transform education and innovation through immersive technologies.
The onsite meeting brought together 16 institutions from the fields of higher education, innovation, and business incubation. Together, the consortium is co-creating new approaches to integrate XR into healthcare training, rehabilitation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Interactive workshops, strategic planning, and inspiring voices marked the LEAP XR kickoff meeting.
Highlights of the kickoff included:
Interactive workshops on XR applications in education and health
Strategic planning sessions to shape the project’s roadmap
A podcast recording capturing the voices and visions of the LEAPXR team – now available on Spotify
“Training is not one-size-fits-all. XR environments can adapt to individual users, responding to physiological signals and surroundings to either calm or stimulate. That’s where XR becomes truly powerful,” said Vanessa Leung, Senior Researcher at St. Pölten UAS.
“LEAP XR is the intersection of disciplines—entrepreneurial and innovative. XR will become a standard tool in healthcare education and innovation,” added Anne Marie Penders, Project Leader of LEAPXR.
St. Pölten UAS plays a central role in dissemination and outreach, contributing to the development of XR-based learning formats and supporting regional innovation. Over the next two years, LEAPXR will:
The kickoff marks the beginning of a collaborative journey to embed XR in education and entrepreneurship-placing St. Pölten at the heart of European innovation.
