Helsinki XR Center (HXRC) is Finland’s national innovation hub for immersive technologies, located at the Arabia Creative Campus of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. Founded in 2019, HXRC plays a pivotal role in shaping the Finnish and Nordic XR ecosystem by offering a collaborative environment where startups, researchers, students, artists, companies, and public sector entities converge to explore, experiment, and scale solutions built with Extended Reality (XR)—including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and spatial computing.
At its core, HXRC serves as an incubator of innovation and entrepreneurship. Through its Developer Hub, it provides early-stage XR teams with free workspaces, mentoring, business guidance, technical support, and XR equipment, helping transform creative concepts into sustainable solutions. These resident teams often collaborate with HXRC on industry challenges, government-funded research initiatives, or public-private partnerships, ensuring alignment between innovation and real-world applications.
HXRC is also committed to bridging the gap between academia and industry. It works closely with Metropolia and other educational institutions to integrate XR into curricula and offer students opportunities to gain hands-on experience with real-life XR projects. This symbiotic relationship fosters talent development while reinforcing the Finnish tech pipeline with highly skilled professionals.
Another key element of HXRC’s mission is community building and ecosystem development. It hosts the annual Match XR event, the largest XR-focused gathering in the Nordics, attracting local and international stakeholders for networking, knowledge exchange, and showcasing emerging technologies. The HXRC Showroom, open to the public and visiting delegations, further amplifies awareness and visibility of Finnish XR achievements.
HXRC collaborates across Europe and internationally through initiatives like XR4Europe, Finnish AI Region (FAIR), and multiple Horizon Europe projects. These partnerships allow HXRC to contribute to European-level strategies for XR standardization, ethics, and policy alignment.
The Helsinki XR Center positions itself as a driver of digital transformation, helping society harness the potential of immersive technologies to solve complex challenges in fields such as education, healthcare, arts and culture, architecture, and smart cities. Its open, inclusive, and research-driven approach ensures that XR development in Finland remains human-centered, interdisciplinary, and globally competitive.
HXRC offers a comprehensive suite of services, including:
Developer Hub: Provides early-stage XR teams with free access to co-working spaces, state-of-the-art equipment, mentoring, and a supportive community to nurture innovative projects.
HXRC Showroom: A dedicated space showcasing the latest XR devices and applications, allowing visitors to experience cutting-edge Finnish XR innovations firsthand.
Research and Development: Engages in numerous RDI projects annually, collaborating with universities, companies, and public organizations to explore XR applications across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and urban development.
Events and Networking: Hosts events such as Match XR, the largest XR event in the Nordics, facilitating connections among XR professionals, enthusiasts, and stakeholders.
Educational Initiatives: Collaborates with academic programs to integrate XR into curricula, providing students with practical experience and fostering the next generation of XR professionals.
HXRC is an active participant in European networks, including XR4Europe and the Finnish AI Region (FAIR), contributing to the broader development and standardization of XR technologies.
More information, visit https://helsinkixrcenter.com/