On 1 and 2 October 2024, LINAGORA will be hosting participants in the European CORTEX2 programme at the Villa Good Tech.

CORTEX2: Revolutionising remote collaboration with extended reality

In a world where geographical distance is no longer an obstacle, remote collaboration is becoming a necessity for companies seeking to remain competitive. It is against this backdrop that the CORTEX2 project was born, with the ambition of revolutionising the way we work together remotely. 

• The proportion of employees who usually or sometimes work from home rose from 14.6% to 24.4% between 2019 and 2021.

• In Europe, the proportion of people working remotely has risen from 5% to 40% as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Today, all the signs are that teleworking is here to stay. 72% of employees say that their organisation provides for some form of permanent teleworking.

• 97% of employees would like to work remotely.

By exploiting the possibilities of extended reality (XR), CORTEX2 aims to create an innovative, accessible and effective remote collaboration platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies alike.

Extended reality, which encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), offers unprecedented possibilities for remote collaboration. By creating an immersive and interactive environment, XR enables teams to work together more naturally and effectively, even when separated by thousands of miles.

CORTEX2 is using this technology to develop a remote collaboration platform that integrates the XR's functionalities. The platform enables users to create virtual working environments, share documents and resources, collaborate in real time and communicate more effectively.

An innovative and accessible platform

The CORTEX2 platform is designed to be accessible and easy to use, even for non-XR experts. Users can create customised virtual working environments to suit their needs and preferences. The platform also incorporates collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards, drawing tools and file sharing capabilities.

CORTEX2 is also designed to be compatible with a wide range of devices, from desktops to smartphones and virtual reality headsets. This means that users can access the platform and collaborate with their colleagues, wherever they are and whatever their device.

A European project for SMEs

CORTEX2 is a European project aimed at supporting SMEs in their adoption of XR for remote collaboration. The project is funded by the European Commission and led by a consortium of partners from academia, research and industry.

The CORTEX2 project also plans to launch two series of calls for applications to recruit European start-ups and SMEs wishing to develop remote collaboration applications based on XR. The projects selected will receive funding and technical support to develop their applications.

• The first call will select 20 projects to co-develop specific modules of the platform, with a budget of up to €100,000 per project over 9 months.
   

• The second call will select 10 new use cases with associated technological developments, with a budget of up to €200,000 per project over a period of up to 12 months.

   

In total, the CORTEX2 project will invest €4 million in financial support for third parties (FSTP).

CORTEX2 is an innovative project that aims to revolutionise the way we collaborate remotely. By exploiting the possibilities of extended reality, the CORTEX2 platform offers an accessible, effective and innovative remote collaboration solution for SMEs and large companies alike.) 
With its European funding and consortium of partners, CORTEX2 is well positioned to become a leader in the field of remote collaboration.