VICTOR-XR joins the conversation on the future of manufacturing at Rome Future Week 2026

How emerging technologies, skills, education and innovation ecosystems are shaping the factory of the future

On 22 September 2026, VICTOR-XR joined “Future Manufacturing: Skills, Tech & Investment“, an event organised by EIT Manufacturing South as part of the official programme of Rome Future Week 2026.

The event brought together businesses, innovators, researchers and investors to discuss the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of European manufacturing, with a focus on the digital and green transition. Discussions covered AI, automation, digital twins, robotics, virtual worlds, human-machine collaboration, future skills and investment opportunities.

Technology, innovation and skills

VICTOR-XR was present alongside other European projects, including R3-MYDAS, UPRAISE and SM4RTENANCE, highlighting the breadth of innovation activities contributing to the transformation of European manufacturing.

While each project addresses different technological and industrial challenges, together they reflect a common vision: a more digital, sustainable and human-centred manufacturing sector, where advanced technologies are developed and applied in response to real industrial needs.

For VICTOR-XR, this means exploring how Extended Reality (XR), AI, multimodal sensing and digital twins can support human-centred manufacturing environments. These technologies can also enable new forms of interaction between people, technologies and machines.

Skills and education

The event also highlighted the importance of people and skills in transforming manufacturing. The future of manufacturing depends on giving people the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively with new technologies.

The programme therefore explored how education, training and lifelong learning can help prepare the workforce for the factory of the future, while bringing academia, education and industry closer together.

From research to industrial application

By bringing together projects, industry representatives, researchers, investors and other stakeholders, Rome Future Week provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on how innovation can move from European research and technology development towards real-world industrial applications.

For VICTOR-XR, the event was another opportunity to contribute to this wider conversation and to showcase the role that XR and human-centred technologies can play in the manufacturing environments of tomorrow.