Bavaria's Digital Minister opens the Festival of the Future in Munich!

Bavaria's Digital Minister opens the Festival of the Future in Munich!

The future has begun! On July 4, 2025, the Bavarian Digital Minister Fabian Mehring opened the second day of the “Festival of the Future” in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. With a grant of 935,000 euros to the XR Hub Munich, whose goal is to promote the development of extended reality technologies (XR) over the next two years, Mehring let those responsible know that something big is being achieved here. XR is considered a key technology that not only combines the art of digital with the physical world, but also offers enormous opportunities for medium-sized businesses, as the minister emphasized.

This event, jointly organized by 1E9 and the Deutsches Museum, showcases innovative applications in the areas of XR, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Visitors have the opportunity to lend a hand and try out new technologies, which is particularly important these days. The day will be rounded off with the presentation of the “New Realities Award 2025”, which honors creative projects at the interface between XR and AI. Tixio reports that the festival will be open to numerous interested parties until the weekend.

What is Extended Reality?

But what exactly does the term extended reality mean? This collective term includes various immersive technologies that link the real and digital worlds. These include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and spatial computing. With VR, users are completely immersed in computer-generated worlds, such as with headsets from Meta or HTC. With AR, digital content is embedded in real environments - a well-known example is the Pokémon in “Pokémon GO”.

Mixed reality allows digital and physical worlds to merge in real time, while spatial computing supports interactions between the two spaces in real time. The term Metaverse ultimately describes a comprehensive digital reality in which XR technologies play a central role. Loud Omnia360 XR is already being used in many areas, from healthcare to real estate to industry and marketing. The possibilities are almost limitless!

The path to the top position in Bavaria

Despite all of these progressive developments, the use of XR in small and medium-sized businesses in Bavaria remains limited. The vbw makes it clear that it is crucial to promote the development of innovations and advance their application in the economy. This includes not only targeted support, but also a broad transfer of knowledge and the creation of good role models.

The Bavarian XR hubs in Munich, Nuremberg and Würzburg play a central role here. They act as contact points for companies and research institutes that want to create valuable synergies together. In addition, small and medium-sized companies can use XR to develop better employee inclusion strategies, especially in times when skilled workers are few and far between.

In summary, the future is now and Bavaria is well on its way to taking advantage of the opportunities presented by digital transformation. The developments around XR could not only revolutionize the way we work, but also permanently change people's everyday lives. A big thank you to everyone who drives the vision forward!