NEM

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NEM SRIA 2024

The NEM SRIA 2024 consolidates Europe’s strategy for the media and creative industries’ digital transformation. It emphasizes immersive technologies, AI, sustainability, and open standards as enablers of a resilient, ethical, and innovative European media ecosystem.

For OPENVERSE, NEM acts as a core partner framework bridging technology, content, and ethics. It offers fertile ground for collaboration in XR interoperability, green media infrastructures, and cross-sector content reuse — directly supporting OPENVERSE’s mission to orchestrate Europe’s virtual and immersive ecosystems.

Basic Identification

Initiative / Partnership Name: NEM Initiative (New European Media)

Full SRIDA Title & Version: Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) 2024, Version 1.0

Publication / Last Update Date: 2024

Governing Body / Association: NEM (part of the European Technology Platform on Smart Networks for Media and Creative Industries); supported by the European Commission.

Type: European Technology Platform / Industry-led Innovation Network

Website / Source: https://nem-initiative.org

Strategic Orientation

Vision Statement:

To foster a European media and creative ecosystem that is open, inclusive, interoperable, and technologically advanced, strengthening Europe’s autonomy in content creation, distribution, and consumption.

Core Mission / Objectives:

Reinforce Europe’s media and creative industry leadership through innovation in XR, AI, immersive media, and human-centred storytelling.
Advance the digital and green transformation of the media sector.
Ensure that media ecosystems remain ethical, trustworthy, and sustainable.
Enable cross-sector innovation between media, cultural heritage, and data-driven industries.

Key Strategic Pillars / Focus Areas:

Immersive and Interactive Media Experiences – From XR to multisensory interfaces.
AI-Driven Production and Distribution – Enhancing efficiency and creativity.
Data, Trust, and Ethics – Establishing transparency and accountability in digital media.
Sustainability and Inclusion – Green media production and digital accessibility.
Skills and Creative Ecosystems – Building capacity for future creators and audiences.

Expected Outcomes / KPIs:

Adoption of open standards for XR and immersive media.
Increase in European ownership of media platforms.
Growth in sustainable content production practices.
Strengthened media literacy and user engagement.

Policy Alignment:

Technological and Thematic Priorities

Domain	Focus	Purpose / Example Outcomes
Immersive Media & XR	Real-time 3D, volumetric video, haptics, sensory computing.	Enable hybrid media formats and virtual broadcasting.
AI for Media	Generative AI for production, personalisation, and accessibility.	Automate editing, enhance storytelling, and translate content.
Trust and Provenance	Blockchain, watermarking, and metadata integrity.	Guarantee authenticity and traceability of media.
Sustainable Media Systems	Low-carbon computing and energy-aware streaming.	Reduce the ecological footprint of the media industry.
Human-Centred Design	Inclusive and adaptive UX, accessibility, digital literacy.	Ensure equity and engagement across demographics.

Cross-cutting Topics: skills and training; privacy and security; interoperability and open standards; cultural diversity; gender balance in media innovation.

Related Infrastructures / Platforms: links with GAIA-X, AI4Media, XR4Europe, Europeana, EIT Culture & Creativity, and Creative Europe Media programme.

Interdependencies / Synergies: with AI, Data & Robotics (ADRA); Europeana (for heritage and content reuse); SNS (for networked immersive delivery); and EIT initiatives.

Governance & Ecosystem

Leading Organisations / Associations: NEM Secretariat (Eurescom) with European Technology Platform oversight; collaboration with 6G-IA, AI4Media, and EC DG CONNECT.

Stakeholder Groups: media companies, content creators, broadcasters, XR/AI developers, academia, cultural institutions, and public bodies.

Engagement Mechanisms:

Annual NEM Summit.
Open calls for project proposals.
Thematic working groups (AI, XR, sustainability, standards).
Cross-initiative collaborations via PPP and JU interfaces.

Update Frequency: Annual or biannual depending on EC policy cycles.
Contact / Participation Info: Membership via NEM network; regular events and consultations.

Alignment with Virtual Worlds

Relevance to Virtual Worlds Domains:

The NEM SRIA is central to the cultural, media, and creative industries dimension of the OPENVERSE ecosystem.
It provides direct links to XR, AI, data ethics, and sustainability, which are OPENVERSE’s foundational principles.

Building-Block Crosswalk

EC Building Block	NEM Implementation
XR and Immersive Technologies	Core focus (volumetric, spatial, multisensory, and hybrid media).
AI and ML	AI-based content generation, accessibility, and distribution.
Data Spaces and Interoperability	Push for open standards and metadata reuse.
Digital Identity and Trust	Provenance, watermarking, and copyright integrity systems.
Cloud–Edge Continuum	Distributed architectures for media production and delivery.
Sustainability	Eco-design and low-energy streaming models.
Skills and Capacity Building	Training programmes and creative innovation hubs.

SRIDA Document Metadata

Keywords / Tags: XR, immersive media, AI, creative industries, sustainability, interoperability, trust, ethics, green media.

Referenced Horizon Europe Clusters: Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry, and Space) and Cluster 2 (Culture, Creativity, and Society).

TRL Ranges Mentioned: TRL 4–8 (from prototyping to demonstration).

Investment Priorities: Focused on sustainable and ethical media infrastructures and creative AI.

Policy References: Digital Europe Programme; European Media Freedom Act; Artificial Intelligence Act; The European Green Deal; European Data Strategy.