SHOTPROS · Project

VR Training That Helps Police Make Better Decisions Under Extreme Stress

digitalTestedTRL 5

Imagine a police officer arriving at a hostage scene — they have seconds to decide what to do, under enormous pressure. SHOTPROS built a virtual reality training system that puts officers through realistic high-stress scenarios so they can practice making split-second decisions without real-world consequences. Think of it like a flight simulator, but for police decision-making. Working with 6 law enforcement agencies across Europe, they figured out which psychological factors cause bad decisions under stress and designed VR training specifically to counter those factors.

By the numbers

Law enforcement agencies involved in testing and validation

Consortium partners across Europe

Countries represented in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

Demonstration-level deliverables including VR tools and training frameworks

The business problem

What needed solving

Law enforcement officers face increasingly complex critical situations — terrorism, active threats, hostage scenarios — where a wrong split-second decision can cost lives. Traditional training methods cannot safely replicate the stress and chaos of real high-risk situations. Officers need realistic, repeatable, and measurable training that builds genuine decision-making skills under pressure, not just procedural knowledge.

The solution

What was built

The project produced 35 deliverables including a VR Training Experience Framework, a Demonstration Tool for VR-based training, a Real-Time Training Progress Assessment Tool, a Risk Assessment Toolkit for identifying high-risk situations, a Cue Repository for personalizing VR training scenarios, and a Concept for Physiological Measurement Suite for stress assessment.

Audience

Who needs this

Police training academies and law enforcement agenciesPrivate security firms training personnel for high-risk environmentsMilitary training technology companiesVR simulation developers serving defense and security marketsCorporate crisis management training providers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Law Enforcement Training

enterprise

Target: Police training academies and national law enforcement training centers

If you are a police training academy struggling to prepare officers for high-threat situations using outdated classroom methods — this project developed a VR training system tested with 6 law enforcement agencies that lets officers practice decision-making in realistic stress scenarios. The Real-Time Training Progress Assessment Tool measures performance objectively, and the Cue Repository allows you to customize scenarios to your specific operational needs.

VR Simulation & Defense Technology

mid-size

Target: VR companies building training solutions for defense and security sectors

If you are a VR simulation company looking to break into the law enforcement training market — this project created a validated training curriculum backed by human factors research across 13 partners in 6 countries. The Training Experience Framework and Structural Equation Model give you a scientifically grounded design blueprint for building effective stress-training simulations, saving years of R&D.

Corporate Security & Crisis Management

any

Target: Private security firms and corporate crisis response training providers

If you are a security training provider whose clients face high-risk environments like critical infrastructure or executive protection — this project built a Risk Assessment Toolkit that identifies high-risk situations and a stress measurement concept that tracks physiological responses during training. These tools can be adapted to train private security teams for active threat and crisis response scenarios.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this VR training system?

The project was coordinated by USECON, an SME based in Austria. Licensing terms for the VR tools, training curriculum, and assessment framework would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium. As an RIA project, results may be available under favorable licensing conditions for public sector organizations.

Can this scale beyond the 6 law enforcement agencies that tested it?

The system was designed with scalability in mind — the Cue Repository allows personalization of VR scenarios for different operational contexts, and the Training Experience Framework provides a standardized structure. The consortium spanned 6 countries (AT, BE, DE, NL, RO, SE) demonstrating cross-border applicability across different policing cultures.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP ownership typically sits with the consortium partners under Horizon 2020 rules. USECON (coordinator, Austrian SME) and the 13 consortium partners would share rights. Specific licensing arrangements for the VR tools, assessment software, and training curriculum should be discussed with the coordinator.

Is this compliant with data protection regulations for biometric stress monitoring?

The project developed a Concept for Physiological Measurement Suite for Stress Assessment, which suggests awareness of data sensitivity. However, any deployment involving biometric monitoring of trainees would need to comply with GDPR and national regulations. Based on available project data, specific compliance certifications are not documented.

How long does it take to implement VR training at a police academy?

The project ran from May 2019 to October 2022, producing a complete training curriculum with VR scenarios and assessment tools over 35 deliverables. Implementation timelines would depend on existing VR infrastructure and integration needs. The modular design (separate scenario repository, assessment tools, and training framework) allows phased adoption.

Can this integrate with existing police training simulators?

The project produced standalone tools including the Demonstration Tool and Real-Time Training Progress Assessment Tool. Based on available project data, specific integration protocols with third-party VR platforms are not detailed, but the modular deliverable structure suggests components could be adapted to different VR environments.

Consortium

Who built it

The 13-partner consortium spans 6 countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Sweden), led by USECON, an Austrian SME specializing in usability consulting. With only 2 industry partners (15% industry ratio) and 2 SMEs, the consortium leans heavily toward end-users and research — 7 partners classified as "other" likely represent the 6 law enforcement agencies plus additional public bodies. This end-user-heavy composition is a strength for validation credibility but means commercialization would require new industry partnerships. The 3 universities and 1 research organization provided the human factors science backbone. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the LEA involvement provides strong proof of real-world testing, while the SME coordinator suggests openness to commercial partnerships.

USECON THE USABILITY CONSULTANTS GMBHCoordinator · AT
SERVICE PUBLIC FEDERAL INTERIEURparticipant · BE
AIT AUSTRIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GMBHparticipant · AT
STICHTING VUparticipant · NL
MINISTERUL AFACERILOR INTERNEparticipant · RO
AUTONOOM PROVINCIEBEDRIJF CAMPUS VESTAparticipant · BE
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
POLIZEI BERLINparticipant · DE
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
POLISMYNDIGHETEN SWEDISH POLICE AUTHORITYparticipant · SE
Netherlands Policeparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

USECON THE USABILITY CONSULTANTS GMBH, Austria — an SME specializing in usability and user experience consulting

Order a report on this consortium See USECON THE USABILITY CONSULTANTS GMBH profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the SHOTPROS VR training tools or adapting them for your organization? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partners and help structure a technology transfer agreement.

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