Jagiellonian University

Copernicus studied here. So did generations of scientists, artists and thinkers who shaped Central Europe. Founded in 1364, Jagiellonian University (JU) in Kraków is Poland's oldest university, and today it is one of its most research-intensive institutions. It has 16 faculties, over 30,000 students and around 4,000 academic staff. JU holds Research University status under Poland's "Excellence Initiative" and is a founding member of the Una Europa alliance. It is also among the most active Polish participants in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

Six centuries of history give us a particular way of looking at new technologies. For us, virtual worlds are not only an engineering challenge. They are a new space where people learn, remember, heal, travel and create together. That is why our XR and digital heritage work always brings disciplines together.

Our computer scientists and human-centred AI researchers work on graphics, machine learning, affective computing and interaction design. Psychologists and cognitive scientists study presence, user experience and the effects of immersive technologies on well-being. Archaeologists, art historians and conservators document and interpret heritage in 3D. Scholars of culture, media and games explore how audiences participate and how stories are told in digital form. Lawyers bring expertise in copyright, data protection and the AI Act. The Medical College adds health research, geographers bring expertise in sustainable tourism, and the Jagiellonian Library runs large-scale digitisation of its collections.

This combination is already visible in our projects. Through the Jagiellonian University Museum, JU is a partner in IMPULSE (Horizon Europe), which explores how immersive digitisation of cultural heritage affects society and democratic participation. It tackles one of the least visible barriers to bringing heritage into virtual worlds: knowing what can legally be reused.

We also have a real place to test ideas. The University Museum at Collegium Maius, set in Kraków's UNESCO-listed Old Town, welcomes visitors from all over the world. It gives consortia a ready pilot site with authentic collections and audiences. Kraków itself is one of Central Europe's liveliest hubs for game development, XR and the creative industries, and we work closely with national e-infrastructures such as PCSS.

For the 2027 calls, we are looking for partners who share this view of technology as something built with and for people. We are especially interested in HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02 (Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 ecosystem). We can contribute:

• research across SSH, AI and law;

• pilot sites and co-creation with real audiences;

• impact evaluation;

• experienced project coordination.

We would like to meet XR technology providers, SMEs and start-ups, cultural and tourism organisations, and research teams who want to turn good ideas into strong consortia.