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CyI Participates in the ‘4CH’ Project to Design a European Competence Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Screenshot 2021 01 13 112226

 

The Cyprus Institute participates in a new and exciting initiative funded by the European Commission, aimed at creating a European Competence Center for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, promoting the use of digital technologies for the study, conservation and valorisation of Monuments and Sites.  The allocated grant will help STARC/APAC researchers to develop new methods for the 3D documentation and study of the island’s archaeological heritage and to work in close collaboration with the Department of Antiquities for the development of best practices and adoption of policies which will help the public sector to implement the required Digital Transformation. The grant will offer as well PhD students the opportunity to engage in multi-disciplinary, international research, be part and contribute to the shaping of the digital future of the island’s Cultural Heritage.

Associate Professor Sorin Hermon represents The Cyprus Institute in the consortium, which includes leading institutions from academia, industry, SMEs and research centres with complementary expertise and a wide geographic coverage of Europe. The Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics leads the project. The Consortium is open to cooperation with heritage agencies and ministries, research centres and SMEs willing to pursue cultural heritage conservation, preservation and valorisation through digital technologies. The project will foster the implementation of actions to substantially increase the number and the quality of digitized sites, documents and monuments.

The 4CH project was launched on January 1st, 2021, and has a duration of three years. Its main aim is to start implementing the structure, organization and services of the CC that will operate as a virtual infrastructure providing expertise, advice and services using state-of-the-art ICT with a special focus on 3D technology. The core results of the project work will comprise of:

  • a holistic interdisciplinary approach to state-of-the-art 3D documentation of monuments and sites for conservation, preservation, access and exploitation,
  • guidance on policies and strategies,
  • a catalogue of well-documented standards,
  • an inventory of software and tools, guidelines for data acquisition, management and storage,
  • a set of success stories on advanced digitization,
  • advice on funding opportunities,
  • training and education plans for professionals and managers, communication and dissemination of 4CH results, and
  • a complete business model and a sustainability plan for the Competence Centre.

The Cyprus Institute’s tasks include work on the definition of 4CH requirements and the field of activities of the future Competence Centre, the implementation of a map of all kind of risks which can damage Cultural Heritage assets in order to prioritize preservation and conservation activities, and evaluation of the state of the Art technologies in the fields in which the Competence Centre will operate: 1) digitization and 3D modelling, 2) conservation and preservation, and 3) exploitation of CH assets. CyI’s team will also participate in the implementation of 4CH operational platform, the Cultural Heritage Knowledge Base, the Service deployment system, the implementation of workflows and simulation through pilot cases, and the 4CH data management recommendations and guidelines as well as taking part in the implementation of the procedures and guidelines for data creation, management and use (ensuring FAIR data) and the communication, dissemination and cross fertilization activities of the project.

4CH is a Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement n.101004468 – 4CH.

More info about the project here and here.