KATOENHUIS – Imagining New Realities

IX Labs Launch Event – 18 November 26 – Katoenhuis Rotterdam

Wednesday 18 November 2026 · 12:30–18:00 · Katoenhuis Rotterdam

Invitation: CIIIC IX Labs Launch Event

Dear friend of Katoenhuis,

We warmly invite you to the launch of IX Labs NL, the national network of IX Labs, on Wednesday 18 November at Katoenhuis in Rotterdam. We do so on behalf of SHINE, the immersive network of South Holland, together with CIIIC and our fellow regional IX Labs.

With the support of CIIIC, the Netherlands has started building a nationally connected infrastructure for immersive experiences: five regional labs that set out to bring knowledge, technology, facilities and application closer together. On 18 November the five labs, IX3, BRIX, PRIME, MIX and SHINE Katoenhuis, show who they are, what they are building, and how you – as a company, researcher, public organisation or international partner – can take part.

Expect an afternoon with:

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a short pitch from every lab, and a researcher from the field on what access to a network like this can yield;

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tables where you talk directly with the labs about your own ideas;

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demos by the SHINE network and other users of the national labs, showing the labs in action;

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a close look at up-and-coming IX talent: the student teams of the Hogeschool Rotterdam hackathon show their prototypes;

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the people behind the national network in one room, with plenty of time to meet and connect over drinks.

Good to know: this is the launch of the national network, not yet the opening of the SHINE Katoenhuis IX Lab itself – that follows later. On 18 November all five labs present the plans they will roll out over the coming months. That makes it a rare chance to meet every region in one afternoon, see the remarkable work each lab has to offer, and discover what their facilities could mean for you – as an organisation, a maker or a user of immersive technology.

Places are limited, and early birds get the most out of the afternoon: when you register, you choose the sessions and labs you most want to meet, and CIIIC builds your personal programme around those choices. The sooner you sign up, the better your match – so secure your spot today.

You are welcome to bring a colleague or someone who shares your interest in immersive technology. Please ask them to register separately, so they get a personal programme too.

SECURE YOUR SPOT FOR THE LAUNCH NOW

Registration runs via CIIIC.

Programme

12:30

Doors open

13:00

Opening

13:20

Meet the IX Labs – five pitches of five minutes

13:45

An applied researcher speaks

14:00

Introduction to the Hogeschool Rotterdam hackathon

14:30

IX Lab tables, installations and hackathon tour (two rounds)

16:05

Open space

16:45

Plenary closing and hackathon prize ceremony

17:00–18:00

Drinks reception

Location: Katoenhuis, Keilestraat 9C, 3029 BP Rotterdam

Please note: the hackathon and the XR Play Day below have their own registration. Signing up for one of those does not register you for the launch event, and the other way round.

Also at Katoenhuis · 16–18 November

Hackathon Immersive Tech 2026: Exploring the Citiverse (for students)

From 16 to 18 November, running alongside the IX Labs NL launch and deliberately on the same theme, Hogeschool Rotterdam brings 150 students from secondary school, MBO, HBO and university to Katoenhuis. In three days, teams build an immersive prototype for a question about the Citiverse: what happens when the physical, social, digital and ecological city flow into one another? No technical skills required.

HACKATHON INFO AND SIGN-UP

Mon 16 & Tue 17 Nov 9:30–20:00 · Wed 18 Nov 9:30–19:00 · free for students

XR Play Day: The Virtual Body | 18 November (for teachers and partners)

Are you a teacher or partner curious about immersive technology? On Wednesday 18 November (9:00–16:00, followed by drinks), you’ll join a mixed team to build a short, interactive XR story around a virtual body in a single day. That could be anything from a digital human to a virtual hand, and you’ll deliberately go looking for that uncanny edge where human starts to feel not quite human. At the end of the day, you’ll present a working prototype. Up for some play? Sign up here.

As a guest of the launch event you will meet the hackathon teams during the tour and see the winners announced at 16:45.

Please note: there are separate registrations! Signing up for the hackathon or the XR Play Day does not register you for the CIIIC IX Labs Launch Event, and the other way round. Taking part in the hackathon or the XR Play Day and also attending the launch programme? Register for each!

We look forward to welcoming you at Katoenhuis.

With warm regards,

Team Katoenhuis

on behalf of SHINE, CIIIC, the IX Labs, SenseGlove and 360 Fabriek

SHINE Katoenhuis IX Lab is part of IX Labs NL, which is part of CIIIC (action line 3.1) and made possible by the National Growth Fund through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. TNO supports the network as an implementing partner of the CIIIC programme.

CIIIC · Nationaal Groeifonds · Ministerie van OCW · TNO

Katoenhuis is supported by the City of Rotterdam, the Province of South Holland and the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague.

Gemeente Rotterdam · Provincie Zuid-Holland · Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag

Initiative by

Proudly rooted in

Home of

Concrete Culture Foundation

Keile District · M4H Rotterdam

SHINE

Instagram · LinkedIn · katoenhuis.nl

Katoenhuis Rotterdam · Port 294, Keilestraat 9C, 3029 BP Rotterdam
You receive this invitation because you are on an invitation list of Katoenhuis, Concrete Culture or SHINE.
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