CIRCUIT – Cross-border Innovation and Research for Creative & Immersive Transformation – is a collaborative initiative dedicated to exploring and accelerating the use of cutting-edge immersive technologies – such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and multisensory experiences – across the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA) of the Interreg Aurora region. Our mission is to move beyond mere adoption, diving deep into how these technologies can genuinely enhance local culture, education, and economic development in a meaningful, accessible, and user-friendly way.
Research-Driven Pilot Development: At the heart of CIRCUIT is a robust, applied research approach that focuses on co-developing and rigorously testing four distinct immersive pilot solutions. These pilots are not just technological showcases; they are carefully designed case studies investigating how immersive tech can solve real-world challenges and create compelling experiences in specific contexts:
- Mobile AR Experience (Tornio): A location-based Augmented Reality experience that blends historical and contemporary elements along Tornio’s culturally significant Rantakatu. This pilot researches how AR can make local history more tangible and interactive for residents and visitors, bridging the past and present.
- VR Pilot Solutions (Kirkenes): Immersive Virtual Reality experiences developed in Kirkenes, exploring how VR can offer new insights into specific local contexts, industries, or cultural narratives. Our research here delves into the effectiveness of VR for deep engagement and understanding.
- Multisensory Installations (Ajtté Sámi Museum, Jokkmokk): Installations designed to enhance cultural heritage engagement through multiple senses. This pilot investigates how combining sight, sound, touch, and even scent can create more profound, empathetic, and accessible experiences of Sámi culture.
- Cross-Border Cultural Heritage VR Co-Experience: A collaborative Virtual Reality experience that connects cultural heritage sites or themes across national borders. This research explores how immersive technologies can foster a shared understanding of heritage and encourage cross-border dialogue and engagement.
Each pilot is a research endeavor in itself, employing user-centric co-creation methodologies to ensure solutions are genuinely relevant and valuable to local communities and stakeholders. We are actively investigating best practices for accessibility and considering the strategic integration of innovative features to enhance user experience.
Building Capacity and Fostering Collaboration: CIRCUIT goes beyond pilot development to ensure lasting impact. Through a comprehensive learning and capacity-building program (Activity 2.5), we are developing open-access training materials and guidelines. These resources will empower local universities, cultural institutions, businesses, and public organizations with the skills needed to maintain, replicate, and adapt our immersive solutions, fostering a wider adoption of these technologies across the region. Our academic partners will integrate applicable learnings and immersive experiences into their curricula, preparing future professionals.
A Sustainable Cross-Border Innovation Network: A key outcome of CIRCUIT is the establishment of a robust cross-border innovation network, anchored by a dynamic knowledge hub and interconnected local hubs. This network, sustained by partners like SVU Kirkenes and The Barents Secretariat, will facilitate continuous knowledge exchange, collaborative project development, and the practical application of immersive technologies long after the project concludes. By actively engaging professionals, researchers, SMEs, and particularly youth, we are nurturing a generation equipped with the digital competencies needed to thrive and innovate in the evolving technological landscape, securing the NSPA’s place at the forefront of creative and immersive transformation.
Contact: Eila Seppänen, Project coordinator, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, eila.seppanen@lapinamk.fi.
