Road to a Virtual World - Gemini XR Extended-Reality mini-conference

Program

24 September 2026 (webinar)

• 10:00–12:00 Short presentations around the research and industrial ecosystem of extended reality technologies. The agenda is filled with presentations from SINTEF and NTNU about projects and initiatives in the field. The session is open for all audience with different levels of expertise in research and extended reality.

25 September 2026 (face-to-face)

• 09:30–10:00 Registration & VR Lab Open Informal demos, coffee, and networking
• 10:00–10:15 Welcome to the Gemini Center for Extended Realities, objectives, positioning within Enabling Technologies and European landscape by Shubham Jain (SINTEF)
• 10:15–11:00 Keynote "Moving from Information to Experience: Exploring the Potential of Virtual Reality in Education and Beyond" by Guido Makransky (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
• 11:00–11:15 Presentations and Consortium mail room. Introduction to the Consortium mail room, an alternate approach to spark meaningful dialogues among conference participants using handwritten notes to each other.  
• 11:15–12:15 Rapid-fire pitches: Thesis in three (3 min / 3 slides). A series of short presentations on XR-related topics. Any participant can present. Dissemination of project and study results, project and proposal ideas, emerging trends.
• 12:15–13:00 Lunch & demonstrations
• 13:00–14:00 Rapid-fire pitches Failure Stories (3 min / 3 slides). A series of short presentations on XR-related topics. Any participant can present. Negative study results, unsuccessful project proposals.
• 14:00–14:45 NFR, EU and others funding by Shubham Jain (SINTEF) and Andrew Perkis (NTNU)
• 14:45–15:45 Project Team Building: active networking session, aiming to connect the participants into groups with matching competences and interests, e.g. to jointly apply for national & EU funding
• 15:45–16:30 Panel: Responsible & Inclusive Virtual Worlds Cross-sector panel Ethics, governance, user inclusion, social science and humanities perspectives by Andrew Perkis (NTNU) and Ekaterina Prasolova-Førland (NTNU)

Laboratory VR Laboratory

Abstract of keynote 

I will present the current state of the art in research on learning with immersive technology including immersive virtual reality. I will begin by outlining why this area is of growing importance in education. Next, I will summarize key empirical findings and highlight several theory-driven frameworks that provide insight into the cognitive and affective mechanisms involved in immersive virtual reality-based individual and collaborative learning. Finally, I will discuss a range of application areas where this knowledge can be used to enhance the effectiveness of education and related fields.

Biography

Professor Guido Makransky is the leader of the Virtual Learning Lab and head of the SCOPE section (Social, Cultural, Organisational, Personality and Educational Psychology) at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. His research explores how emerging technologies such as virtual and extended reality, immersive simulations, and generative AI influence learning, collaboration, and behavioural change. His current projects combine controlled laboratory studies with real world experiments in classrooms and organizations, integrating theories from educational psychology and related fields with contemporary measurement methods. The overarching goal of his research is to provide evidence-based insights for designing learner centered AI and XR supported learning interventions that help educators, trainers, and stakeholders harness emerging technologies to improve the quality of education and training.

For additional information, please contact

• Dr. Shubham Jain, shubham.Jain@sintef.no, +47 40328886
• Prof. Ekaterina Prasolova-Førland, ekaterip@ntnu.no, +47 99440861
• Dr. Mikhail Fominykh, mikhail.fominykh@ntnu.no, +47 48603627

The project "Extended Reality Mini Conference - Road to a Virtual World" has received support from the Research Council of Norway.