VIPC Awards CCF Grant to AccessVR to Advance VR Immersive Learning Software for Healthcare and Other Industries
CCF funding will support a case study, in partnership with George Washington University School of Nursing, for simulation-based learning opportunities.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, April 4, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) today announced that AccessVR LLC has been awarded a Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant for $100,000. VIPC’s CCF programs have distributed more than $55 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs, and university-based inventors since 2012 in support of critical early technology testing and market validation efforts. AccessVR has previously received funding through VIPC’s Strategic Initiatives division.
Immersive virtual reality has been shown to foster superior learning outcomes, improved engagement, and more comprehensive understanding and retention of content. It also creates a safe space for trial and error, customization, and helps ensure broader accessibility. However, adoption of virtual reality (VR) technology for training, especially in the medical sector, has historically been hampered by a lack of foundational content and framework for deployment at scale, along with costly, limited-use products that quickly become obsolete. Instructors primarily rely on live-action simulation to build soft skills that are difficult to teach in a traditional classroom setting, and although many have ideas about ways to incorporate immersive learning, they lack the resources and know-how to do so. Winchester, Va.-based AccessVR offers a novel solution with OrchestrateVR™, an end-to-end software platform that empowers instructors to create their own training modules swiftly and without coding experience.
To incite greater adoption of VR immersive learning, AccessVR will use CCF funding to execute a case study for deploying the technology into nursing education classrooms. Given that universities and other institutions are increasingly turning to VR to train nursing students and other health science majors, learning about and solving specific challenges through this study will provide a proven model for new implementation across healthcare and beyond.
“AccessVR has developed a system for immersive vr experience design and a framework for its adoption, along with a process to accelerate virtual training production time from ten months to three weeks,” said Jeanette Townsend, VIPC’s Director of Private Sector Grants. “This CCF grant offers a progressive Virginia startup an excellent opportunity to advance their novel simulation-based learning technology in a field where there’s already an appetite for virtual reality training options but one that has not yet transitioned from traditional, live, in-person instruction.’’
“AccessVR was created and continues to be driven by a commitment to make training both scalable and affordable. Our solution is quickly becoming a versatile tool that is generating interest from universities, fire and rescue departments, police, military, and the construction industry, proving its applicability across diverse sectors,” said James “JJ” Ruscella, Founder and Executive Vice President of AccessVR. “We are on a mission to make immersive learning available to everyone and CCF funding will go a long way to advance our ‘watch one, do one, teach one’ methodology.”
About AccessVR
AccessVR has earned recognition as a thought leader in immersive learning design, acknowledged by both the US Government and the healthcare industries. Our role involves providing leadership, knowledge, and innovative solutions that streamline the adoption and scalability of immersive learning for organizations. We strive to make the process not only effective but also practical, ensuring that organizations can readily embrace and benefit from immersive learning experiences.
About Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
Connecting innovators with opportunities. As the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the Commonwealth that leads funding, infrastructure, and policy initiatives to support Virginia's innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, and market development strategies. VIPC also collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners to support the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy.
Programs include: Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) | VVP Fund of Funds | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Petersburg Founders Fund (PFF) | Smart Communities | The Virginia Smart Community Testbed | The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center | Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Alliance (VAAMA) | The Public Safety Innovation Center (PSIC)| Entrepreneurial Ecosystems | Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) | Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) for SBIR & STTR | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement.
For more information, please visit www.VirginiaIPC.org. Explore the latest news from VIPC and images from VIPC-supported stakeholder events. Follow VIPC on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
About the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF)
VIPC’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) accepts applications and awards funding on a rolling basis to Virginia’s small businesses and university-based innovators. For Virginia’s private sector community, the competitive grant program seeks high-potential Virginia-based for-profit technology companies at the early stage of commercialization. The grants support early technology and market validation efforts such as the development of prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs), customer pilots, and intellectual property protection. For more information on funding opportunities and eligibility requirements, or to apply, visit the CCF pages from www.VirginiaIPC.org.
