The NZVRARA (New Zealand VR/AR Association) and specialist XR co-sharing space, PROJECTR Wellington are now halfway through a wide-ranging strategic partnership to accelerate the growth of the virtual and augmented reality sector from Wellington.
PROJECTR Wellington, founded by virtual reality industry leader Michael Gregg, opened in February last year as a collaborative AR/MR/VR co-working, R&D project hub and events venue.
The facility provides desk space to cross reality (XR) startups and entrepreneurs, to student interns and tertiary sector researchers, and to allow for collaborative projects to be undertaken in a neutral environment, together with access to leading immersive technology hardware and event facilities.
Already, PROJECTR® has provided the desk of the NZVRARA Executive Director since that role’s inception, and home for the monthly meetings of the Association’s Executive Committee. The 2017 AGM was held at PROJECTR® Wellington, as well as the inaugural NZVRARA Student Chapter Exhibition. This strategic partnership formalises the provision of workspace, events space, hosting of industry events and access to equipment for the NZVRARA.
Within the broad digital realities sector, PROJECTR® is well-placed to align tertiary talent with industry needs, develop local solutions for global challenges and connect New Zealand talent internationally. The PROJECTR® residents extend beyond VR and AR practitioners to include AI (artificial intelligence), 3D motion graphics and other innovators, with cross-disciplinary collaboration a powerful reason many enjoy this unique space.
The strategic partnership between PROJECTR® and the NZVRARA was executed in July 2017 to formalise the roles of both organisations to work together to accelerate the education, development and evolution of this creative sector for the benefit of New Zealand, whilst ensuing a clear demarcation between the education and industry proselytisation role of the Association and the benefits that PROJECTR® delivers specifically for its resident base.
As part of this partnership, PROJECTR® which now houses over 16 high-growth company tenants, is a corporate member of the NZVRARA. The partnership allows for Association members’ innovative technology solutions to be showcased in Wellington.
The NZVRARA will run its Wellington operations from PROJECTR Wellington for the duration of this partnership at no charge.
PROJECTR® Founder, Michael Gregg is enthusiastic about the arrangement saying, “… the reason I was adamant about the need for both the Association and for PROJECTR® XR Centres is that innovation accelerates when passionate people can collaborate, share their vision and collectively work together to drive our embryonic industry forward.”
Mr Gregg was at the centre of the establishment of the New Zealand VR/AR Association and has served as its founding chair for the first two terms of its existence. He is now proceeding to establish additional PROJECTR® XR Centres in other VR-centric locations such as Taipei, Taiwan (the global home of VR) and Los Angeles, California to focus on cinematic reality.
NZVRARA Executive Director, Courteney Lomas, has been based at PROJECTR Wellington since July 2017.