The European EdTech sector is playing an increasingly important role in driving forward digital transformation in Europe covering all education, training sectors. According to estimates, the sector saw a 15% increase on investments in 2021 and global investments are expected to reach over $87 billion in the upcoming decade. Notwithstanding, the sector is heavily fragmented across the European Union with many small players and few companies playing a global role. The European XR industry has evolved and maintained a leading role globally in software and content production. The use of XR can expand the range of activities through which students can gain hands-on experience, enabling them to go beyond abstract knowledge and supporting skills-based teaching and learning. Currently, developing XR applications for education require specialised knowledge and strong XR development skills. The process takes a lot of effort, time, and money. XR4ED concept is to: a) bring together EdTech and XR community and resources, overcoming fragmentation issues and encouraging the acceleration of innovation for personalised, innovative, efficient, and inclusive learning using XR; b) build a one-stop-shop and open marketplace for XR applications for learning, training and education that will act as a European reference platform on learning and teaching with XR. XR4ED will focus on the following sectors which must be further developed to make Europe a leader in cutting-edge technologies for education: • Boost the deployment of innovative XR applications for learning, training, and education. • Enable digital start-ups, SMEs, and industry active in the EdTech sector to further advance early prototypes, of digital learning solutions/apps using XR to a market-ready product. • Provide a single point of access to XR content, tools and solutions based on open standards. • Provide links to existing relevant initiatives and projects, including existing platforms, catalogues, or repositories.

The pandemic emphasised the need to accelerate the deployment and market uptake of digital health technologies, many of which were developed to contribute to the fight against the spread of COVID-19. This recent transformational innovation in Europe offers the opportunity to revolutionise the Health sector, which needs to adapt to the latest technological developments and become more digital and more sustainable. Providing an opportunity to university students and graduates to enhance the entrepreneurial, digital and green skills needed by a transformed healthcare sector is essential towards innovation. Health2Innovation aims to inspire, mentor, train and empower students and graduates, through the development and execution of a dedicated, standalone and hybrid training course focusing on the skills needed by a digitally transformed health sector.Health2Innovation brings together higher education institutions, incubators, vocational education training organisations, SMEs and tech experts from Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland and Romania to exchange knowledge and best practices, co-design and deliver a training course targeting students and/or graduates in Life Sciences, Medicine, Business, Engineering or ICT-related studies. The partnership will create a training course on the basis of each partner’s expertise knowledge and experience that will enhance learners’ understanding in key areas related to health, such as digital health, data literacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology and circular economy, as well as their entrepreneurial, digital and green skills. The partnership will also develop a digital learning hub and a mobile app and it will also bring to life a Health Innovation Bootcamp and an Apprenticeship programme in innovative health clusters, namely the Medicon Valley in Denmark and Sweden and the Lille Northern France Health Cluster.