The main goal of HERIFORGE is to develop a network of three interconnected place-based hubs in Poland, Cyprus and Turkey providing Research and Innovation environment for innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries with the responsible use of XR (extended reality) technologies and cultural heritage for the benefit of social resilience.

Background

Over the past two decades, the approach to cultural heritage (CH) has shifted from preservation-focused to value-centred, emphasizing its role in sustainable development and quality of life. Cultural heritage is a resource for sustainable development and quality of life and an essential element in enabling people to grow a sense of belonging to a place, while interacting with cultural expressions facilitates dialogue and sharing experiences which in turn helps growing new shared identities. This facilitates social inclusion and well-being of the multi-cultural groups living and moving to the EU, with a direct impact on social resilience. It is also recognized as a common good with significant cultural, social, and economic value.

CH and the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are major engines of growth and social development in Europe, and their innovative potential can enhance Europe’s competitiveness. EU investments in large programmes like Europeana, European Collaborative 12 Cloud for Cultural Heritage or European data space for cultural heritage position cultural heritage as a fundamental part of our identities and communities.

Technological advances such as extended reality (XR) and digital twins are transforming sectors like education, entertainment, health, manufacturing and tourism. The European XR market is projected to grow significantly, further integrating CH into virtual environments.

Despite advancements, challenges persist in reusing digital CH assets. Stakeholders often work in isolation, focusing on short-term, fragmented projects, which results in underutilized digital assets. These are rarely updated post-project and lack standardization, limiting broader professional reuse, particularly by CCIs.

HERIFORGE (cultural HERitage and Immersive technologies for innovation FORGE) addresses these technical challenges along with values and objectives identified by the Partnerships for Regional Innovation, to foster stakeholder actions in the transition towards sustainable development paths and targeting place-based transitions.

Objectives

Develop a joint R&I place-based strategy to promote and stimulate CH driven transformations

  • Excellent and sustainable place-based R&I ecosystems;
  • Long term joint R&I strategies underpinned by concrete action plans of EU relevance;
  • Strengthened linkages between science and business;
  • Common investment plans for R&I;
  • Contribute to EU-wide access to excellence, ERA Policy Agenda action 16.

Execute R&I projects with market potential to support development of the hubs network

  • R&I pilot projects alongside a joint strategy and in line with RIS and EU strategies;
  • Strengthened linkages between science and business;
  • New business opportunities for SMEs.

Strengthen and cross-pollinate EU-level innovation ecosystems in Cyprus, Poland and Turkey

  • Excellent and sustainable place-based R&I ecosystems;
  • New competencies and skills for researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals;
  • Strengthened linkages between science and business;
  • Improved knowledge transfer and development of skills;
  • New business opportunities especially for SMEs through a stable pipeline of high-quality projects to the EIC Accelerator Step 2;
  • EU-wide access to excellence.

Creating business opportunities for SMEs and start-ups and leverage on them to stimulate innovation in the CCIs domain

  • Strengthened linkages between science and business;
  • Improved knowledge transfer and development of entrepreneurial skills;
  • New business opportunities especially for SMEs, university spin-offs and start-ups, especially deep tech.

Ensure visibility and establish long-term collaborative links between the 3 local ecosystems and pan-European networks and initiatives

  • Strengthened linkages between science and business;
  • New business opportunities especially for SMEs, university spin-offs and start-ups;
  • EU-wide access to excellence.

Heriforge Hubs Network

The HERIFORGE project harnesses the expertise of three excellence hubs in Cyprus, Poland and Turkey on XR technologies, advanced IT and digital humanities infrastructures as well as cultural heritage resources to provide an interregional ecosystem of innovation.

These hubs epitomise the quadruple helix model, integrating academic institutions, businesses, public authorities, and societal actors within their ecosystems, in a bid to foster a real place-based innovation culture based on a strategic agenda and in line with regional or national smart specialisation strategies. Aligned with those strategies, each hub undertakes activities tailored to its unique expertise and circumstances.

The 4 spatial distribution of the hubs underpins geographical diversity, building the necessary capacity to allow successful participation in the R&I process and to promote networking and access to excellence. Within the project, these individual ecosystems will be transformed into the HERIFORGE Hubs Network.

Heriforge Hubs Network

Expertise & Infrastructure

POLISH HUB

Key expertise: XR technologies, e-infrastructures, humanities research, gamification, business innovation, standards in museology, openness and involvement

Key infrastructure: ICT (data centre, cloud computing), digital arts and humanities infrastructure (Dariah.lab), Next-generation Media Lab, FBC data aggregation and access pipelines (more than 120 repositories with over 8.5M of CH digital objects)

CYPRIOT HUB

Key expertise: Scientific and multi-discipline processes of 3D documentation/digitisation of CH, FAIR data orchestration, digital twins, semantics, ontologies and metadata curation, VR/AR, co-creation.

Key infrastructure: Unique equipment and cloud support for the region (STARLab, HPCF, USRL, VELab, APAC), CH repositories of thousand 3D assets, connected with NEB Stewardship hub, E-RIHS DigiLab, DARIAH ERIC Working Groups, Time Machine EU

TURKISH HUB

Key expertise: Design methodologies and engaged research, storytelling and exhibitions for cultural heritage, XR technologies, intangible CH

Key infrastructure: XR lab with state-of-the-art workstations, headsets and motion capture devices. Strong base of arts and humanities research , research centres in CH (also intangible)

Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, The Cyprus Institute and Koç University, as hubs leaders and key actors in the project, will provide access to their Cultural Heritage (CH) and Extended Reality (XR) laboratories as well as technical resources like storage and computing power, and own premises to all the partners as well as Open Calls projects for smooth and effective collaboration.

Overall, the project brings together main actors of the CH sector from the respective regions, as well as renowned academic and private entities in computer science and data science to deliver an excellent HERIFORGE Hubs Network for CH exploitation with XR technologies, benefiting target communities and social resilience.

Target Groups

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

  • SMEs
  • startups delivering IT solutions in e.g. tourism, gaming, education
  • tourist guide guilds and associations
  • CCIs
  • XR companies (virtual museums, digital galleries, e-museum, digital archives)
  • creative sector (fashion and design, visual graphics, game companies)

CULTURAL HERITAGE SECTOR

  • GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives, museums)
  • Cultural heritage institutions (CHIs)
  • public and private arts and culture institutions
  • new media and performance artists and artist collectives

POLICYMAKERS

  • regional (municipalities)
  • national level (Ministries, e.g. Ministry of Culture and Heritage, government)

RESEARCH

  • Research Performing Organisations (RPOs)
  • individual researchers

PUBLIC

  • citizens (both local and national audience)
  • tourists
  • children & youth