ABSTRACT
In the context of widespread digitalization of businesses and academia due to COVID-19, the new effective tool has become necessary to drive innovations. This paper observes the international scientific experiment VRE-IP that tested the hypothesis of the advantages of using virtual reality for teamwork, creativity, and innovation. VRE-IP experiment was based on design thinking methodology and supported SAP innovation process. The analysis of the trends of using virtual reality for educational and business development goals, and VRE-IP experiment revealed that employing virtual reality technology to organize workshops, distant meetings, plenary reports, and other tasks is exceptionally efficient, improves the engagement rate and creativity and contributes to the process of innovative ideas stimulation. The experiment also demonstrated the need for building a hybrid model for teamwork. The combination of traditional teamwork instruments and virtual technologies is proposed as the most sustainable and systematic model for online collaboration at the current stage of technological development. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.