The iHeritage Project
The iHERITAGE project aims to introduce advanced technological solutions and improve transnational cooperation for the access to UNESCO’s Mediterranean cultural heritage while attaching wider dissemination of monuments declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
The Mediterranean UNESCO cultural heritage needs new techniques to improve its level of interpretation, taking advantage of new technologies and commercialising the latest research results. In this regard, the iHERITAGE project will provide new solutions through an innovation-driven growth process to promote cross-border technological transfer, Living Labs, industry-academia collaboration and the creation of spin-offs and new products, using the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR).
This project will also create an extensive database which will collect the intangible cultural heritage of the Mediterranean countries inscribed in the UNESCO registers and also in the national registers instituted in accordance with the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the World Cultural Heritage.
iHERITAGE will address socio-economic challenges at cross-border level through the active involvement of young people, women and NEETs who will take part in the Living Labs, training courses, and the creation of spin-offs, thus contributing to increase employment opportunities and foster innovation. The project will support collaborations among universities, SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs devoted to the creation of AR/VR/MR products. Eventually, iHERITAGE will improve access to UNESCO cultural heritage, on site and off site, and will contribute to the establishment of the Regional Centre for Safeguarding and Valorisation of Mediterranean Intangible Cultural Heritage, to be recognised under Category 2 of UNESCO.
“iHERITAGE will show us the Mediterranean UNESCO heritage as we have never seen it. Dozens of new AR / VR / MR technological solutions will open the way for an unprecedented and democratic relationship with oral traditions, cultural heritage and archaeology, revealing forms, contexts and contents that would otherwise be invisible and reserved only for insiders”
— Lucio Tambuzzo, Project Creator
iHERITAGE has a total budget of 3.9 million euros and will be funded by up to a maximum of 90% through the “Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme” ENI CBC Med 2014-2020. The 2014-2020 ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme is a multilateral CrossBorder Cooperation (CBC) initiative funded by the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI). The Programme’s objective is to foster fair, equitable and sustainable economic, social, and territorial development, which may advance cross-border integration and valorize participating countries’ territories and values. The following 13 countries participate in the Programme: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia. The Managing Authority (JMA) is the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). Official Programme languages are Arabic, English, and French.
Main Expected Outputs of the Project
- 18 Research Agreements aimed at strengthening people-institutions-industry-academia collaboration
- 30 establishings of spin-offs and newco dedicated to co-patenting and commercialization of innovative products
- 76 creations of innovative products/services – technology transfer of innovative solutions (46 new products by the project + 30 selected)
- 46 prototyping and testing within the Living Labs of the innovative products and services created by the project
- 30 events of commercialization of new products and services based on AR/VR/MR technologies and the use of Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Autonomous Database and Big Data
- 6 high training courses
- 400 beneficiaries of training courses
- 15 co-publications produced in the Living Labs
- 18 co-patents aimed at developing innovative and marketable ICT products
- 1 ICT Mediterranean Platform for the Valorisation of cross border Cultural Heritage through AR/VR/MR
- 1 Mediterranean Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage
The project gathers the following 10 partners from 6 Mediterranean countries participating in the cross-border iHERITAGE project:
Lead Beneficiary
- ourism Department — Region of Sicily (Italy)
Partners
- Ualg – University of Algarve (Portugal)
- CCBM – Network of Castles and Medieval Towns (Italy)
- CEEBA – Confederation of Egyptian-European Business Associations (Egypt)
- ASCAME – Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Spain)
- CULTECH – Jordan Society for Scientific Research, Entrepreneurship and Creativity (Jordan)
- General Department of Antiquities of Jordan
- LAU – Lebanese American University, Beirut (Lebanon)
- El Legado Andalusí Andalusian Public Foundation (Spain)
- UNIPA – Palermo University-Department of Architecture (Italy)
- Countries: Spain, Lebanon, Portugal, Egypt, Italy and Jordan
Associated Partners
- Sicilian Region – Regional Department of Productive Activities (Italy)
- Ministry of Culture, Lebanon- Directorate General of Antiquities (Lebanon)
- Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO (Lebanon)
- CNR – ITABC, Institute for Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (Italy)
- Municipality of Byblos-Jbeil (Lebanon)
- Region of Algarve – Department of Tourism (Portugal)
- Duration: 30 months
- Total budget value: € 3.874.287,06
- Co-financing rate: 10.0%
