The EU produces 30% of the world's virtual-worlds research publications, more than any other region, but that leadership does not carry through to patents or investment. On venture capital, the EU ranks fourth globally with just a 16% share, well behind the United States (around EUR 17 billion invested by the end of 2024) and behind China and the UK too. A second study, examining 22 real-world use cases spanning manufacturing, healthcare, education, defence and entertainment, finds that the technology's biggest practical foothold so far is workplace training, since a VR headset naturally blocks out real-world distractions in a way that suits step-by-step, hands-on learning. A third study surveying virtual-worlds companies and university programmes found nearly 60% of firms rely on external partners to fill technical skills gaps, and that virtual-worlds content makes up just 1% of EU master's degree programmes despite most workers entering the field through higher education. The Commission has also launched an interactive data explorer letting users browse the underlying patent, research and company data directly.

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