Finland Metaverse Strategy

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Finland Metaverse Strategy

Finnish Metaverse Ecosystem
Virtual Potential into Real-World Impact’
29.11.2023
www.digitalfinland.org

Virtual Potential into Real-World Impact
This is an initiative created by the Finnish Metaverse industry for itself. The project was initiated by Business Finland in order to understand better customer needs and business
possibilities in the Metaverse and increase cooperation in the field. Initiative does not create binding obligations for Business Finland.

Metaverse Strategy Forum founded during the strategy project. The forum is open for everyone to join upon request to the coordinators. Forum covers all stages of the Finnish ecosystem and also foreign organizations. Metaverse Advisory Board board of about 20 members covering all aspects of the Metaverse. The board proposes development initiatives and coordinates new initiatives.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE INITIATIVE PROCESS
1. FINNISH APPROACH TO THE METAVERSE
   1.1 Finnish Definition of the Metaverse
   1.2 Finnish Values and Strengths
       1.2.1 Well-being and Freedom
       1.2.2 Openness and trust
2. 2035 VISION FOR FINLAND
   2.1 Economic growth
   2.2 Well-being
   2.3 Freedom
   2.4 Openness
   2.5 Trust
3. THE WAY TO THE FUTURE
   3.1 Be guided by vision and values
   3.2 Foster cross-boundary collaboration
   3.3 Leverage our strengths
   3.4 Enhance education for the Metaverse
   3.5 Boost economic growth
   3.6 We can improve marketing and sales on a global scale
   3.7 Advance metaverse research
4. RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTIONS
   4.1 Metaverse in Action Programs
       4.1.1 Technology Enablers
       4.1.2 Business Networks
       4.1.3 Metaverse Society
       4.1.4 Metaverse Health
       4.1.5 Industrial Metaverse
   4.2 Recommended actions
       4.2.1 Technology Enablers
       4.2.2 Business Networks
       4.2.3 Industrial Metaverse
       4.2.4 Metaverse Society
       4.2.5. Metaverse Health
A CALL TO ACTION
REFERENCES

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Metaverse is the convergence of the physical and digital worlds in the next revolutionary stage of the internet, social networks and emerging technologies. It includes AR and VR technologies, as well as virtual worlds that can be accessed through various devices. The Metaverse is expected to be the next big technology platform, worth 8 to 13 trillion € by 2030.

However, Finland and Europe face the risk of losing any meaningful role in the metaverse industry, which may be dominated by the global industry giants outside of Europe. This may increase
geopolitical, economic, security related and social risks for Finland and decrease the added value in the Finnish national economy.

The Metaverse Initiative is nation-wide and aims to position Finland as a global leader in the metaverse industry, based on Finnish values of wellbeing and freedom, openness and trust. The strategy has a time horizon of 2035 and will be updated annually.

The vision for Finland is to be a role model in how to use the Metaverse for enhancing our quality of life, education, culture, and democracy. We also want to mitigate the harmful effects of the Metaverse on our health, privacy, security, and environment. We also want to utilize the opportunities of the Metaverse for creating new businesses, jobs, innovations, and exports. We want widespread adoption of industrial metaverse applications and location independent industrial work in all industrial sectors.

We will initiate five programs to implement the Metaverse Initiative:

Technology Enablers: Developing and supporting the infrastructure, standards, platforms, interfaces, and devices for immersive and virtual experiences.
Business Networks: Supporting and coordinating the creation of a metaverse ecosystem covering all main segments of the value chain with Europe and global partners.
Metaverse Society: Familiarizing the Finnish society with the Metaverse and educating them about new use cases and business opportunities. Supporting development of the needed framework forwide scale adoption.
Metaverse Health: Promoting the physical, mental, and social inclusion and wellbeing of our citizens with the help of the metaverse technologies.
Industrial Metaverse: Applying the metaverse technologies to various industrial sectors such as manufacturing, maintenance, construction, built environments, defense, logistics and transport.

The Metaverse Initiative is a bold and ambitious initiative that will position Finland as a global leader in the metaverse industry. It will leverage our strengths and values to create a metaverse that is beneficial for our society. It will also address the challenges and risks that the metaverse technology poses. By implementing the five programs outlined in this strategy, we will achieve our vision for Finland: to be a role model in how to use the metaverse technologies to enhance all aspects of life. We invite you to join us in this journey and shape the future of the Metaverse together.

INTRODUCTION

The global metaverse market size was valued at around $42 billion in 2020. According to Citi and Nokia estimates, the metaverse will be an 8 to 13 trillion € opportunity by 2030. The metaverse market is driven by factors such as generative AI, increasing processing power, miniaturization of several technologies, and the growing demand for social, environmental and economic sustainability. XR stands for extended reality, which encompasses AR, VR, and Mixed Reality (MR).

The Metaverse Initiative is nation-wide and aims to position Finland as a global leader in the metaverse industry. The strategy consists of four main parts: the Finnish approach, the Finnish vision, the way to the future, and the recommendations and actions. In the first part, we will explain our definition of the metaverse and how it aligns with our values of wellbeing and freedom, openness and trust. In the second part, we will present our vision for Finland in 2035, where we aspire to be a role model in using, mitigating risks, and utilizing the metaverse technology for enhancing our quality of life, education, culture, and democracy. In the third part, we will outline how we will achieve our vision through five “Metaverse In
Action” programs that will govern the implementation of the strategy: Technology Enablers, Business Networks, Metaverse Society, Metaverse Health, and Industrial Metaverse. In the fourth part, we will provide concrete steps and actions for each program, as well as for the government, the private sector, the research community, and the civil society. The strategy is a living document that will be revised and updated regularly to reflect the changing needs and opportunities of the metaverse.

Finland has already a significant amount of companies and technological advancements present in the Finnish companies and universities that can be used to fuel the growth of the Metaverse in the short and long run. The strategy work aims to align the Finnish Metaverse Strategy to the strategies of the other countries and affect those in a positive and constructive way.

This strategy work is important as it creates a collaboration forum to create a common understanding about the Metaverse’s current status, activities and expected impacts to the Finnish economy, culture, industry and other areas of life. Strategy also aims to create a vision and framework for a strong Metaverse branch of industry with internal cohesion, cooperation and identity. The strategy provides visibility into the opportunities that the Metaverse provides and what the Finnish metaverse companies, research organizations and other entities have got to offer to the world. Our intention is to create a permanent coordination body to steer the implementation of the strategy.

THE INITIATIVE PROCESS

The process of developing the Metaverse Initiative began in early 2023 by appointing the leader for the strategy. His first task was to form a 15-person advisory group from top Finnish
companies and universities working with metaverse related topics. Then we had a kick-off meeting, where we established five working groups: Technology Enablers, Smart City, Generic Enablers, Consumer Metaverse, and Industrial Metaverse. These working groups had more than 70 active members who worked hard to produce their parts of the strategy. In addition, we formed a forum of over 400 people who commented on the strategy work and had active discussions about the topics. Now we have the first version of the strategy ready and we move on to the next phase: organizing people to define the programs that encompass the steps and actions to realize the vision set in the strategy.

1. FINNISH APPROACH TO THE METAVERSE

1.1 Finnish Definition of the Metaverse

The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space that encompasses and transcends physical, digital, and augmented realities. The Metaverse brings more emotion, connection, empathy, and togetherness to our collective experience of life. It enables us to interact with each other and our environment in new and immersive ways. It also creates new opportunities for creativity, innovation, entertainment, education, and commerce.

The term “metaverse” was originally coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, where it referred to a virtual reality network that people could access through various devices. The term gained popularity during the virtual worlds boom of the early 2000s, when it was used to describe various online platforms that allowed users to create and explore immersive and interactive environments. The term was repopularized by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg in 2021, when he announced his vision of building a metaverse that would connect people across different devices and applications. Since then, the term has been used to describe various visions of virtual worlds that are immersive and experiential, and that may integrate elements of the physical and digital worlds.

Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term referring to all the technologies on the spectrum of real and virtual worlds: e.g. AR, MR, AV, VR, spatial computing platforms and 360 video. These technologies are used to create immersion and to access the Metaverse. XR is expected to replace or complement smartphones by smart glasses by 2030. The Metaverse is usually defined as having at least the following characteristics:

Persistence: The metaverse has the ability to remember a user and their environment from one session to the next.
Connection to the real world: Parts of the metaverse are seamlessly connected to the real world using IoT or similar technologies.
Immersiveness: The metaverse provides the users a feeling of presence. It mimics reality and is therefore by default in immersive 3D.
Collaboration and social interaction: Users can collaborate, socialize, communicate, and trade freely in the metaverse. The interaction can become more inclusive and combine multiple spaces, both physical and digital.
Interoperability: Users can freely move from one virtual world to another and transfer their data and assets (e.g. Avatars) from one platform to another and sell them at open markets.

It should be noted that this definition is an ideal and optimal solution and the reality may differ from this in the end. However, this strategy is committed to advance the Metaverse
according to this evolving definition.

1.2 Finnish Values and Strengths

1.2.1 Well-being and Freedom

The goal is to increase well-being in an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable way and to continuously improve human rights throughout the world. This means
supporting democratic development and international cooperation. Freedom is the foundation of Finnish society and culture, and it is reflected in the legislation, education and
welfare system. Respect for diversity and inclusion of all people regardless of their background or identity.

Related Strengths:

Sisu: Sisu is a Finnish concept that represents a form of inner strength and perseverance. It is often used to describe the national character of Finns, who value stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. Sisu is an action-oriented mindset that enables individuals to overcome challenges and adversity, even when success seems unlikely or impossible. Sisu also implies a sense of responsibility, integrity, and compassion.
Equality of people/Cooperative Society: Finland is a country where everyone is equal before the law and has equal opportunities to access public services. Finland ranks among the top countries in gender parity, women’s empowerment, and female representation. Finland also respects and promotes the rights and inclusion of minorities.
Responsible Economy: Finland leads the way in bioeconomy, which involves producing and using renewable biological resources for food, energy, materials, and services. Finland is home to some of the world’s leading companies in clean technology, such as Neste, which produces renewable diesel and jet fuel from waste and residues. Moreover, Finland ranks number one in DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index), which is visible in continuous investments in the development of human capital, connectivity, integration of digital
technology, and digital public services (European Commission, 2022).

1.2.2 Openness and trust

Sharing and caring with the whole world, and collaborating with other nations are important for Finland’s sustainable future. By promoting open science and research, innovation and
culture, we embrace learning and curiosity, responsible and reliable cooperation between people, businesses and organizations, and constant trust-building. Transparency and
accountability are core in public administration and decision-making.

Related Strengths:

Impartial status in geopolitics.Finland pursues an active foreign policy that promotes peace, security, human rights, democracy, and multilateral cooperation. Finland’s geopolitical position between superpowers of the world allows it to balance its interests between different actors and regions and to create mutual trust in other countries.
High profile research and technological ability: Finland has a strong position in the global XR market, with several areas of expertise and innovation. Leading companies in XR, such as Varjo, Dispelix, and Optofidelity.
Democracy and trust: Finland is a top-ranked country in democracy, press freedom, human rights, and government effectiveness. Finland also has a high level of trust in public institutions, media, politicians, and fellow citizens, which boosts social cohesion, economic performance, and well-being.

2. 2035 VISION FOR FINLAND

Finland as an inspiring role model for the whole world

In 2035 Finland is globally the leading architect and enabler for the Metaverse. Finnish leadership in the industry is globally recognized and Finland is considered a benchmark society that has fully adopted the Metaverse. In addition, Finland has a thriving solution cluster and Finland attracts major Foreign Direct Investments in all parts of the Metaverse value chain. The annual Metaverse industry turnover will be more than 30B€.

Finland’s vision for the Metaverse is to have open standards and interfaces that allow individuals and countries to have enough independence and freedom, without being dominated by a single company or country.

2.1 Economic growth

Enable profitable business for companies. Finland is a global leader and innovator in the metaverse, with technological sovereignty, business excellence, and real-life test bed capabilities. Finland has developed and adopted the key enabling technologies for immersive and virtual experiences in various industry verticals, such as industrial metaverse, education, gaming, and defense. Finland also has a diverse and dynamic metaverse ecosystem that connects different actors, sectors, and domains, and provides a favorable environment for standardization, regulation, cybersecurity, and education.

2.2 Well-being

the goal is to increase well-being in an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable way and to continuously improve human rights throughout the world. Supporting democratic development and international cooperation in the world. Finland is a global leader in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with a systemic approach to transforming its economy, society, and environment. The Metaverse supports Finland’s sustainability efforts by reducing emissions, enhancing circularity, improving wellbeing, and fostering social cohesion.

2.3 Freedom

Finland is a global leader in diversity and accessibility in the metaverse, ensuring that the Metaverse is inclusive and accessible for all people regardless of their background, location, or abilities. Finland also celebrates and showcases its cultural diversity and heritage in the Metaverse, creating a rich and vibrant virtual environment. Finland also enables its citizens to access quality services, entertainment, and education in the Metaverse, enhancing their wellbeing and opportunities.

2.4 Openness

Finland is a global open hub for innovation and creativity in the Metaverse, fostering a culture of experimentation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Finland supports talent, startups, and investors in the metaverse domain, offering a favorable regulatory and funding environment.

2.5 Trust

Finland is a global advocate for digital rights and ethics in the Metaverse, ensuring that the users’ privacy, security, and autonomy are respected and protected. Finland also promotes the values of democracy, transparency, and accountability in the governance and development of the Metaverse. Finland also fosters a culture of digital literacy and responsibility among its citizens, empowering them to make informed and ethical choices in the Metaverse.

3. THE WAY TO THE FUTURE

This Metaverse Vision will be achieved by following the guidelines set here. These are basic principles that are used in the coming updates and implementation of the strategy, e.g. in the
Metaverse in Action programs.

3.1 Be guided by vision and values

We want to create a metaverse, which is inclusive, accessible, ethical, and sustainable for everyone. Sustainability refers to the Metaverse’s value from environmental, social and economic perspectives.

3.2 Foster cross-boundary collaboration

We can collaborate with companies across the value network both nationally and internationally to deliver various metaverse solutions, including immersive and virtual experiences to the end users.

3.3 Leverage our strengths

We have a unique position between the world’s superpowers, which makes us a trustworthy and impartial partner. We also have expertise in gaming, education, and design, which enables us to create engaging and innovative solutions. Finland has also got strong democratic processes to define regulations and guidelines, a lot of early adopters and strong collaboration between research organizations and companies.

Finland ranks among the best in the world in several converging technologies tightly linked with the Metaverse: software applications, networking technologies, advanced computing (including quantum technologies), Artificial Intelligence, fintech, gaming, and metaverse environments. Thus, Finland has world class clusters and concentrations of companies in all individual enabler technologies. For example, the Metaverse is dependent on advanced telecommunications equipment where Nokia is one of the top 3 players in this market with about 15% market share globally.

Finnish universities and research institutes have several decades of background in many areas of fundamental research needed for the Metaverse: Human Machine Interaction, optics, sensors, IoT, machine vision, AR, acoustics etc. Finland has got a thriving XR ecosystem with 200+ companies developing everything from hardware to platforms, vertical specific solutions and providing services. In the Metaverse value chain, Finland has got all individual segments covered.

3.4 Enhance education for the Metaverse

We can provide high-quality education and training programs that equip our citizens with the skills and knowledge they need for the Metaverse. We can also use the Metaverse as a platform for learning and teaching, offering immersive and interactive experiences for students and teachers. We can also introduce the Metaverse and its hardware to students from an early age, encouraging them to explore, create, and collaborate.

3.5 Boost economic growth

We can support the transition to a low-carbon and circular economy, enhance the quality and efficiency of public services, and increase productivity and competitiveness through research and development.

3.6 We can improve marketing and sales on a global scale

We have high-end technology, but we need to communicate better what we have done and why it is good. We can use storytelling, branding, and social media to showcase our achievements and attract more customers.

3.7 Advance metaverse research

We can invest in innovative research that develops new solutions and opportunities for the Metaverse. We can also join forces with other countries and organizations and contribute to the global knowledge base of the Metaverse.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTIONS

4.1 Metaverse in Action Programs

This is how we will achieve the Metaverse Vision, by implementing the following Metaverse in Action (MIA) programs.

Fig 1. Five Metaverse In Action (MIA) programs for operationalizing the strategy.

All of the programs that focus on specific areas of application share two common MIA programs. They are Technology Enablers and Business Networks, and they will last for more
than 10 years.

4.1.1 Technology Enablers

This activity focuses on developing and standardizing the technical infrastructure and platforms that enable the Metaverse. It includes aspects such as interoperability, scalability, security, privacy and accessibility.

Taking the initiative: For example Business Finland’s Enabling Technologies and Architectures for Immersive Experiences program, which is part of the Immersive Digital Life mission.

4.1.2 Business Networks

The aim of this activity is for Europe to build together with global partners an autonomous metaverse ecosystem covering all main segments of the value chain. This is done to ensure technological autonomy in the new geopolitical context and that significant business value is created in Europe. It includes aspects such as innovation ecosystems, business ecosystems, joint offerings, value chains, business models, and regulations. Also as part of this activity we focus on creating, identifying, developing and supporting the business opportunities and networks that emerge from the Metaverse.

Taking the initiative: For example Business Finland’s Immersive Digital Life mission and activities by large Finnish corporations.

Fig 2. An overview of the main segments of the metaverse value chain and the Finnish companies and supporting organizations along the value chain.

In addition there are three horizontal MIA programs that are focusing on more specific challenges in certain industries and the overall society:

4.1.3 Metaverse Society

By familiarizing ordinary citizens with the Metaverse, we can better educate the general public about new opportunities by the Metaverse. This can be achieved by making the Metaverse accessible for everyone in hubs, public libraries or other public places, publishing Metaverse related content in ordinary media, and arranging highly visible metaverse events for the public. Finland has the potential to become a leader in this field, with its strong education system, creative industries and gaming sector. This program aims to create understanding of the opportunities and use cases provided by Metaverse, and foundations for the new skills to be used in the Metaverse by all generations. It includes the whole educational system, public services, media, arts, entertainment, gaming and culture.

Taking the initiative: For example, the current Smart City working group and Tampere University.

4.1.4 Metaverse Health

AR/VR/Metaverse technologies can offer new ways to improve health outcomes, reduce costs and increase access for everyone in Finland. For example, VR can be used for pain management, mental health treatment, rehabilitation and training. AR can be used for remote diagnosis, surgery guidance and patient education. This program aims to explore and implement new ways to use Metaverse Technologies in preventive health care, and in health care for everyone in Finland. The Metaverse, as a digital frontier, holds immense potential to be a cornerstone in the investment of brain capital. By harnessing its capabilities, Finland can pave the way for a mentally healthier, cognitively sharper, and economically stronger future. A population with high brain capital is more productive, innovative, and contributes positively to the economy. By supporting mental health through the metaverse, Finland can enhance their collective
brain capital.

Taking the initiative: For example University of Oulu and Business Finland’s OneHealth program, which is part of the Health mission.

4.1.5 Industrial Metaverse

This is transforming the way we work and produce value. Metaverse Technologies can enable human-centric remote work and telework, teleoperation, digital twins and AI helpers, collaborative robotics and situational awareness. These can enhance productivity, efficiency, safety and sustainability in various sectors such as manufacturing, maintenance, construction, energy, transportation and agriculture and defense, not forgetting sales. This program aims to support and accelerate the adoption of Metaverse Technologies in Finnish industries.

Taking the initiative: For example VTT and large corporations also Robocoast EDIH and Metaverse Hackathos for industrial needs and innovation development.

4.2 Recommended actions

The initiatives, actions and recommendations here are collected from the strategy work process, and they are divided to fit the MIA (Metaverse In Action) programs presented in the
previous section of this strategy document. The list of recommendations and actions will be updated and changed in future versions of this document.

4.2.1 Technology Enablers

The development and innovation of all of the technological capabilities (chips and other hardware, operating systems, computing infrastructure, platforms, stores, solutions, services etc.) that are needed to provide the metaverse (immersive virtual world) experience and service and therefore enable developing new business. Focus on: infrastructure, hardware, platforms and enablers (e.g. security).

Collaborate globally to create a common open platform for the Metaverse.
Direct public RDI (research, development and innovation) funding for developing all of the technological capabilities that are needed to support metaverse business (hardware, operating systems, platforms, interaction methods, stores, solutions, services, content etc.), early-stage trials and pilotings both on national and EU level.
Set up European research consortia involving large companies and SMEs throughout the value chain, these would later become the basis for the European business cooperation (see: Business Networks).
Encourage international collaboration and standardization on regulatory, research, and business aspects of the metaverse.
Review the current and emerging standards for the metaverse and participate actively in the international standardization process to ensure that the metaverse is developed in an open and inclusive way, without any proprietary or restrictive elements from large global companies.
Develop R&D sandboxes and test environments for fast trials. Demonstration environment including both VR and MR features. “Suomi-Verse” that could be developed freely by “us” to meet the highest standards available to show what is possible.
Consider the ways in which different UI levels (text, voice, 2D/3D, XR) could be used to access services in the Metaverse.
Leverage the power of Large Language Models such as ChatGPT to build the Metaverse services.
Leverage the opportunities of future connectivity and edge computing to build the Metaverse infrastructure
Initiate hackathons and challenge competitions to develop technology, use-cases, usability and access to metaverse.
Attract International R&D talent for the Metaverse development (XR, UI, optics, signal processing, graphics etc).
Create sales and marketing events in all three continents: North America, Europe and Asia for the Finnish Metaverse companies.
Start Metaverse dedicated media campaigns to support both export and Invest In Finland activities.
Use Team Finland global network and Invest In Finland network to identify Metaverse business opportunities and attract large global companies to relocate to Finland.

4.2.2 Business Networks

The only way to compete with the growing dominance by foreign large corporations and industry alliances is to form a European Metaverse Industry Alliance. This alliance will only come to existence as a result of clear commitment to Metaverse development and cooperation by the largest European corporations and their close cooperation with the European innovative Metaverse SME ecosystems.

Public coordination of the European metaverse industry alliance on European level. Natural foundation for this is the VR/AR industrial coalition, which has been initiated by the European commission in 2022. On July 11 th 2023 European Commission published the EU's strategy for achieving leadership in Web 4.0 and virtual worlds , one of its findings was that “currently, there is no EU ecosystem that would bring together the different actors of the value chain of virtual worlds… The Commission has proposed a partnership on virtual worlds, possibly starting in 2025, within the framework of the Horizon Europe program…”
Involve large European companies together with SMEs throughout the Metaverse value chain to create a European Metaverse business network. This would secure technological autonomy and that significant business value is being created in Europe.
Analyze the European Metaverse industry and its gaps from a value chain viewpoint and create a European level turn-key Metaverse offering, which covers a significant part of the value chain (hardware, operating systems, platforms, stores, solutions, services etc).
Develop a common open interface platform for Metaverse.
Create metaverse offerings for certain industry verticals (e.g. industrial Metaverse) and also cross-industry offerings (e.g. secure Metaverse combining cybersecurity innovations).
Look for novel ways of cooperation between large corporations and SMEs, instead of research consortiums, there could be concrete business cooperation along the supply chains. An example of this is Ericsson Startup 5G Program , in which Ericsson cooperates with SME’s to develop value added services to export markets.
Mapping XR hubs, R&D infrastructure and platforms that could be utilized by SMEs, research organizations and also ordinary citizens.
Analyze the industries and use cases that most benefit from the Metaverse.
Identify, analyze and come up with new business models.
Use Team Finland global network and Invest In Finland to identify Metaverse business opportunities and attract the leading Metaverse companies to relocate to Finland.
Strengthen the role of IPs and IPRs in the Metaverse. This would encourage larger companies to join Metaverse as they could be certain that their rights are not violated.
Create Metaverse specific startup incubators and accelerators to nurture homegrown talent and attract international entrepreneurs.
Set up Finnish Metaverse Ecosystem Association (and/or innovation ecosystem) and an annual International Metaverse seminar.
Create international and national consortiums and value networks around these programs.
Start metaverse hackathons in cooperation with large companies, facilitators and innovative start-ups and/or developer teams.
Metaverse-dedicated media campaigns to support both export and Invest In Finland activities.
Promote matchmaking; Finnish and foreign metaverse companies presenting themselves to each other and investors, perhaps in Metaverse. Ecosystem companies getting to know each other.
Tax incentives for companies registered to the Metaverse or having employees that work in the Metaverse. Launching “Virtual Finland” with lower tax level and incentives to hire foreign labor.
Develop MatchXR into a globally recognized event with a versatile agenda supporting the idea of the “sustainable metaverse”. Also publish metaverse maturity index annually in the event.

4.2.3 Industrial Metaverse

The industrial applications and implications of the metaverse.

Study transformation of work in the industrial context through utilization of digital twins, AI and Metaverse that makes many jobs independent of time and place.
Understand that the users of industrial metaverse solutions are the youth of the present day. Understand their expectations for working in a virtual environment and develop solutions accordingly. Conduct usability studies to create acceptable solutions.
Develop and launch an online marketplace for Industrial Metaverse training, possibly adopting an already existing marketplace.
Look for novel ways of cooperation between large corporations and SMEs, instead of research consortiums, there should be concrete business cooperation. An example of this is Ericsson Startup 5G Program , in which Ericsson cooperates with SME’s to develop value added services to export markets.
Create work roles and tasks to attract the best Metaverse-ready talents to work in Finland and for Finnish companies. With the Metaverse capabilities, ensure worker wellbeing, meaningfulness of work, and individual preferences and capabilities.
Study innovative, Metaverse enabled ways of executing traditional tasks, enabled by new technologies, new cooperation models, and new employment models.
Study the most prominent use cases and business cases for the industrial Metaverse in all industrial segments. Which use cases benefit most for example in terms of productivity and quality. Candidates: remote repair, maintenance, training.
Instead of creating point solutions for different segments, understand what is in common between requirements (both technical and user expectations) in different segments and drive solution development to address a broader market.
Strengthen the role of IPs and IPRs in the Metaverse. This would encourage larger companies to join Metaverse as they could be certain that their rights are not violated.
Incorporate foresight and continuous research into the industrial strategy work.
Create concrete real world use case presentations, one sliders, to exhibit what the Metaverse means in practice and what is the business potential, especially to people with very little understanding about Metaverse.
Create concrete hackathons that both develop use cases in a metaverse context or develop metaverse technological solutions and their business opportunities.
Use Team Finland global network to identify Metaverse business opportunities.
Identify and deploy governmental incentives to drive adoption of solutions in all industrial segments, similar to supporting adoption of electrical vehicles.
Use the opportunity to engage as a speaker in global industry events to gain visibility and discuss opportunities.

4.2.4 Metaverse Society

familiarizing the society with the Metaverse, educating the general public about the new opportunities, use cases and business opportunities in the Metaverse society.
Ensure good governance, predictability, and continuity in the Metaverse development. These practices are applicable to all Metaverse In Action Programs.
Address how privacy and trust are ensured in the Metaverse. These practices are applicable to all Metaverse In Action Programs.
Create virtual Team Finland organizations, virtual Finnish embassy and virtual Finland of Businesses (including well known Finnish brands) in the Metaverse and arrange virtual events to introduce the general public to the Metaverse and its possibilities.
Mapping Finnish XR hubs, R&D infrastructure and platforms that could be used by SMEs, research organizations and also ordinary citizens.
Visualize the Metaverse and its use cases in 2D to explain metaverse to ordinary citizens, this could e.g. involve having one slider about actual use cases, newspaper articles or video content.
Identify Finnish cities with strong commitment to metaverse development, ensuring their resources and skills/competence. "Cities as a platform" pilots could be a good way to use a public platform like this to drive metaverse enablers and their interoperability standards. It would create customers for the technology developers, beyond public funding, and references that can be used in marketing.
Ensure the participation of different Finnish organizations and population groups in the Metaverse development process.
Make it easier for international experts and students to work in/from Finland and stay after their studies.
Ensure access to the Metaverse for all citizens, possibly via public libraries and other public spaces.
Launch public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about the Metaverse and its potential benefits.
Engage and educate the cultural and creative sector about the Metaverse and its business potential.
Promote Finnish culture, heritage, and creativity in the Metaverse by supporting artists, musicians, and content creators. Sufficient resourcing for Immersive Game and Creative Business to support this.
Helping Finnish people and organizations to adopt Metaverse, e.g. AR-tagged content for wayfinding and citizen guidance and shared smart city digital twins.
Start new educational programs on Metaverse also on university level and launch sandbox development on European level.
Use the Metaverse to educate people about socially important topics such as sustainability, bullying, loneliness, poverty and addictions.
Start publishing an annual “Metaverse maturity index”, which measures the Metaverse capability of each country, consultancy help could be used for this.

4.2.5 Metaverse Health

The health and well-being of the citizens. As one of the pioneering countries of the digital transition, we have excellent opportunities for concepting new products/services for emerging needs.

Establish a regulatory framework and ethical guidelines for the use of metaverse technologies in health care, ensuring the safety, quality, and privacy of the services and data.
Develop a national metaverse health platform that enables interoperability, data sharing, and collaboration among different stakeholders in the health sector.
Analyze the Finnish Metaverse health sector and the most suitable use cases and business cases.
Create a practically oriented strategy on how the Metaverse improves health care domestically and creates a new export industry for Finland.
Address how potential addictive and other harmful effects are mitigated in the Metaverse.
Take use of the new and tested diagnosis methods, planning methods and treatments which use the Metaverse technologies and artificial intelligence.
Create and support new innovations on Metaverse based well-being and healthcare.
Create new methods for remote medicine and support for geographically distributed teams of health professionals.
Use Team Finland global network to promote metaverse business opportunities.
Involve Business Finland’s Health mission and related programs for promoting the industry.
Provide secure and privacy-safe support tools to help employers reflect on the mental and physical health, and well-being of their organization
Use the metaverse to improve the health and well-being of people by offering them customized and interactive experiences that encourage healthy habits and lifestyles.

A CALL TO ACTION

The development of the Strategy was led by Jani Vallirinne and Jani Jokitalo, who are both experts in the field of metaverse and digital transformation. They can be contacted at jani.vallirinne@vtt.if and jani.jokitalo@bf.fi for any inquiries or feedback. We hope that this document has inspired you to explore the potential of the Metaverse and its implications for Finland. We invite you to join us in creating a more immersive, inclusive, and innovative digital future for our country and for the whole world. We seek to join forces with the other nations that share our vision and seek to create their own Metaverse Strategies, so that we can harmonize our efforts and amplify our impact. We also roll up our collective sleeves to start working on the huge task we have set for ourselves: to define and run the five Metaverse in Action programs, to achieve the Vision. May the sisu be with you.

REFERENCES

Metaverse and Money, Citi: Metaverse and Money - CitiGPS: www.citigroup.com/global/insights/citigps/metaverse-and-money_20220330
Top XR vendors: www-xrtoday-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.xrtoday.com/mixed-reality/top-xr-manufacturing-and-industrial-vendors-for-2023/amp/
First person view for 3D models: www.3dvista.com/en/blog/first-person-view-for-3d-models/
Metaverse Market Size And Forecast: www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/metaverse-market/
Healthcare and Metaverse: metaverse-institute.org/event/metaverse-for-healthcare/
European VR/AR Industrial coalition: digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/virtual-and-augmented-reality-coalition
VR/AR Industrial Coalition - Strategic paper: op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9aaef6fd-28db-11ed-8fa0-01aa75ed71a1
Towards the next technological transition: Commission presents EU strategy to lead on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds: ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3718