Eirmersive has a strong focus on the skills side of our sector. An important element of that is promoting and supporting the adoption of immersive technologies across the broad spectrum of education. As such we were truly honoured to have the opportunity in 2024 to convene a group of visionary educators drawn from every level of education in Ireland, including primary, secondary, tertiary, and further education as well as representatives from the private sector.

We would like to thank the members of the Working Group who all gave so generously of their time. We’d like to acknowledge the support of Meta without whom this body of work would not have been possible. And we’d like to express our sincere gratitude to the Minister of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science - Patrick O'Donovan, TD - for kindly, and enthusiastically receiving the report.

The Irish Immersive Technology Strategy for Growth report was prepared with input from stakeholders across the Irish domestic ecosystem, including industry, government, large enterprise, SMEs, research, and education. It provides a strategy to support the further development of the Irish immersive technology sector.

FOREWORD by Grace Korbel, Local Enterprise Office and Maureen Kerr Creative Ireland Office, on behalf of the IMMERSE Consortium:

“Donegal County Council Creative Ireland Office and the Local Enterprise Office have been privileged and pleased to have had the opportunity of acting as lead in this Creative Communities Economic Action Fund. We are grateful to Creative Ireland for the funding resource for IMMERSE. The proposal to roll out a pilot engagement and communication programme for the immersive technology industry emerged through collective engagement with the Western Development Commission, Eirmersive, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Regional Enterprise offices Mid West, North West and West, CREW (Creative Enterprise West) and connected Hubs as key partners. A sincere thank you to the participants for engaging with the process. The findings and recommended actions are an important and significant step in developing the enterprise in the Western region and future proofing the industry ecosystem to ensure sustainable prosperity.”

The ‘Onward’ event series was designed by Eirmersive to feature the leading thinkers, companies and product demonstrations from the world of Augmented and Virtual Reality, while aiming to bring industry together to network, share cross-sector knowledge and to learn more about the value and impact of immersive technologies in the enterprise and creative sectors.

The Irish Immersive Economy report showed that the Irish immersive technology sector was worth over €43 million, with significant potential for future growth as 63% of businesses in the sector expected to grow in the years ahead..