Taiwanese consumer electronics corporate HTC Corporation has announced the launch of a $10 million virtual reality (VR) fund – VR for Impact – that is aimed at ventures with a social goal of fostering sustainable and positive social development.
In an announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the company unveiled its virtual reality (VR) fund for content and technologies that will drive sustainable development around the world.
The fund will promote content that supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2020, with VR being an instrumental tool in working towards these objectives. HTC Vive will fund and support content and technologies that create the most powerful experiences to transform our world.
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The fund will promote experiences that improve awareness, education, and lead to action.
In a statement on their website, VR for Impact states: “We believe that virtual reality has the potential to change the world unlike any technology before it. Mankind’s challenges have never been greater than today, and virtual reality’s unique ability to immerse people into an experience is unmatched. Virtual reality can connect us and create empathy by opening our eyes to someone else’s perspective.”
The use of VR as an educational tool that prods immersive learning experiences has the chance to create and deepen awareness. It facilitates opportunities to develop and share ideas in impactful ways This will enable it to spur greater calls to action and development, given the increased empathy that such immersive experiences might engender in those that undergo them.
“The potential for Virtual Reality to help us learn, understand, and transform the world is limitless. VR for Impact is a challenge to the VR community and content developers across the globe to help drive awareness and to solve the biggest challenges of mankind,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO, HTC.
“HTC Vive will fund the best ideas using Virtual Reality that truly drive awareness and positive change in our world. We encourage all players in the VR eco-system to join as only together can we drive real impact,” she adds.
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