11/06/2025

IAT [Connect]: Extending realities between imec and Polo Digital ecosystems

Join Málaga’s XR event with imec and Polo—where immersive tech, media, and gaming collide to spark the future of digital innovation.

The upcoming event, as part of the collaboration between imec and the City of Málaga, will focus on fostering interactions among stakeholders who share common interests in extended reality (XR) technologies. This initiative is particularly relevant to the ongoing transformations in the Media & Entertainment industries, driven by how we consume digital content, play games, watch programs, and interact within immersive environments. The event will serve as a catalyst for connecting ideas and fostering innovation in this dynamic sector.

As part of the ongoing collaboration between imec and the City of Málaga, this event will be focused on the dynamization of interactions amongst different stakeholders with common interests in extended reality technologies, including companies hosted by Polo, XR Valley in Belgium and with the collaboration of Flanders Investment & Trade.

And with the presence of researchers from the University of Málaga and Ghent University:

Mobilnet: Leveraging decades of expertise in network performance, data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and self-organizing networks (SON), we are shaping the future of networks
DIANA: Main lines of research include Networks and Radio Technology, Human Machine Interaction, Electronic Systems Design and Electronic Art and Interaction.
EMULAB: Human-computer interactions

PROGRAM

15:00 Introduction to Polo Digital ecosystem

Alicia Izquierdo – Deputy Major. Innovation area Málaga City Hall.

15:15 Introduction to Flander’s media and entertainment ecosystem

Lothe Verstrate. Global Industry Lead Entertainment Tech. Flanders Investment & Trade.

15:30 European funding opportunities

TBC (Polo Digital)

15:45 Demo area by Polo Digital XR companies

Made in Verse: XR for industrial processes
Visitas Virtuales: Virtual visits, 360º photo and video
Voson Engine: Immersive experiences with “free room” technology
Yerba Buena VR: Immersive streaming, health and culture solutions
Opposum: Virtual builders: Cultural Heritage, 3D, LIDAR, Photogrammetry
OWO Defense: Haptic technology for tactical immersive training

16:45 Coffe break

17:00 Introduction to XR Valley.

Jelle Demanet. Business Developer emerging tech imec / Ghent University

17:15 Pitches by Flemish XR companies

The Pack: Digital Artists: VFX, animation, games, hybrid VR projects
Uncanny: Creative studio: motion design and video post-production
Spatial Dynamics: Virtual reality scenarios to evaluate employee skills in realistic, task-based environments
Strike Force Alpha: Software products: metaverse factory, hosting, infrastructure services, livestream and video integration
Hydra: Immersive XR and AI hardware, travel ready deployment platforms
Altermind: Immersive brand experience studio. We design tailor-made, web-based immersive experiences that run flawlessly across all platforms

18:00 Introduction to imec and imec Spain