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XRA URGES CONTINUED AND ELEVATED NSF INVESTMENT IN IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY

XRA URGES CONTINUED AND ELEVATED NSF INVESTMENT IN IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY

Washington, D.C. – On July 20, 2025, the XR Association submitted comments in response to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Request for Information (RFI) on the ten congressionally mandated Key Technology Focus Areas for its Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). As the TIP Directorate, created under the CHIPS and Science Act, assesses whether its current focus areas remain fit for purpose, XRA strongly urged NSF to retain and elevate “immersive technology” as a distinct and stand-alone priority area.

“Immersive technology (XR) plays a crucial role in securing U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and the broader emerging technology ecosystem,” said XRA’s CEO, Liz Hyman. “As a next-generation mobile computing platform, XR is redefining how we experience digital content by seamlessly integrating the physical and digital worlds. Given its transformative potential, the XR Association strongly advocates for XR to be a central focus of the TIP Directorate’s strategic priorities.”

XRA emphasized the strategic importance of immersive technologies – including XR, spatial computing, digital twins, and AI-powered smart glasses – to U.S. competitiveness, defense readiness, workforce development, and cross-sector innovation. The comments noted immersive technology’s growing global significance, major private sector investments, and demonstrated value across TIP’s evaluation criteria, from enhancing national security and economic growth to driving translational research.

XRA’s submission reinforces our long-standing advocacy to keep immersive technologies explicitly named and supported within NSF’s research agenda. With global competitors investing heavily and XR rapidly converging with AI, continued federal recognition and funding are essential to sustaining U.S. leadership in this transformative field.

Read the comment here. 

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