Digital meets Culture

The campaign, launched in Spring 2025, aims at supporting Members States with 3D digitisation of heritage

EUreka3D-XR supports ‘Twin It! Part II’ campaign

EUreka3D initiative, supporting the common European data space for cultural heritage, is fully on board with the new Twin it! Part II campaign organized by the Europeana Foundation and the European Commission.

The campaign, building on the successes achieved in 2024, aims to further support EU Member States in their 3D digitisation and preservation efforts — now with a sharper focus on how the digitised assets will be used, to unlock the power of 3D digitisation by driving meaningful reuse across sectors, expanding the reach and impact of cultural data, and boosting innovation and competitiveness across the cultural heritage ecosystem.

As openly accesible resources available to all CH professionals, EUreka3D developed tools, training and documentation, in particular:

the EUreka3D Data Hub, a EU-based platform for safe storage, management and sharing of 3D assets,
the Step to Success digitization guidelines, derived from the EU VIGIE Study 2020/654.
the self-paced course on Europeana Training Platform “3D digitisation: prepare for success“, to help anyone on their 3D digitisation journey, specifically aimed at Cultural Heritage professionals who are considering, or in the middle of, digitising their cultural heritage collections using three dimensional models.

Additionally, the most recent developments of the project in the realm of XR tools will be soon available for the entire CH community, offering for reuse 5 tools for XR creation and 3 demonstration scenarios in France, Spain and Cyprus.

A new blog published on Europeana in the context of EUreka3D-XR

Discover the history of the walls of Girona

The story of Girona is the story of its walls – built in Roman times, altered in the Middle Ages, and demolished in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now the walls are being virtually reconstructed in 3D by the EUreka3D-XR project.

Go read the blogpost on Europeana, written by CRDI – Ajuntament de Girona, at this link.

London (UK), 4-6 November 2025

Languages & The Media 2026: “Moving Images That Move Audiences: Localising with Intent”

Languages & The Media, the Biennial International Conference on Audiovisual Language Transfer in the Media, is gearing up for its 16th edition, scheduled from November 4 to 6, 2025, at Senate House, University of London, UK.

Under the theme Moving Images That Move Audiences: Localising with Intent, Languages & The Media 2026 will explore the real impact of localisation and accessibility on storytelling, audience engagement, and cultural exchange. In a moment of rapid change and technological disruption, this anniversary edition will provide space to reflect on some of the defining questions of the their industry:

What is the core purpose?
Is it possible balance speed, scale, and quality?
What roles should human creativity and emerging technologies play in the future of media localisation?

The event will be anticipated by three days of pre-conference workshops, expert panels, pioneering research, and essential networking, as bringing together content creators, broadcasters, translators, subtitlers, dubbing professionals, accessibility advocates, language service providers, professional associations, educators, researchers, and technology developers.

Lugano, 23-24-25 October 2025

SECreTOUR Beyond Borders: a very successful event

The SECreTOUR initiatives named Beyond Borders run successfully from 22 to 25 October 2025.

On the first day (22/10/2025), the partners of SECreTOUR met with representives of the sister projects that participate in the Cluster: CULTURALITY, CROCUS and TOURAL to discuss and plan the next joint events in 2026-2027 and to address the key question of the sustainability of their network.

Cluster meeting: SECreTOUR, CULTURALITY, CROCUS and TOURAL

The day was completed in the evening with a very interesting presentation of the case of Planhotel Resorts and Hotels on the theme of “Food, Tourism and Hospitality: how do they fit together”.

Keynote: “Food, Tourism and Hopitality: how do they fit together” by Sara Rosso Cipollini and Carmine Garzia

On the second day (23/10/2025), the public workshop on Cross-Border Collaboration and Macro-Regions for Cultural Tourism was held at the Swiss Diamond Hotel “La Romantica”, member of the SECreTOUR Network of Common Interest and organiser of the SECreTOUR Botanical Garden ispired by the rich biodiversity of Monte San Giorgio.

SECreTOUR Botanical Garden at Swiss Diamond Hotel, Meride

The wonderful location was made available to host a very successful meeting where projects’ partners, international institutions, policy makers and local stakeholders presented their views about sustainable tourism in rural destinations and the challenges of cross-border promotion.

Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni of USI is opening the SECreTOUR workshop

On the third day (24/10/2025), the participants in the workshop visited the sites of the Monte San Giorgio SECreTOUR pilot following the Miraculous Catch itinerary, developed through a crossing border path that started in Riva San Vitale and Meride (in Switzerland) to Porto Ceresio (in Italy), and eventually the arrived to Morcote (back to Switzerland).

Riva San Vitale

Historic houses in Meride

Starting of the trail from Meride to the top of Monte San Giorgio

On the border between Switzerland and Italy

Arrival to Morcote

The Municipality of Morcote, member of the SECreTOUR Network of Common Interest, hosted at the end of the day a lively encounter with local stakeholders where the integrated plan promoted by the Municipality was confronted with challenges and results connected with concrete innovative initiatives carried out by local enterprises.

Encounter with stakeholders hosted by the Municipality of Morcote

On the fourth day (25/10/2025), the Beyond Borders Hackathon took place in Lugano, organised by SECreTOUR in collaboration with Europeana, Photoconsortium International Association, the UNESCO Chair of the Università della Svizzera Italiana in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites and the UNESCO Chair of the University of Genoa in Anthropology of Health, Biosphere and Healing Systems, all members of the SECreTOUR Network of Common Interest. Two groups of students met with representatives of SECreTOUR partners and experts from USI to use the images taken from the europeana.eu platform to design new creative applications. In a few hours they were able to present to the appointed international Jury very interesting approaches, where physical and digital interactions have been proposed to promote cultural experiences in rural destinations.

Beyond Borders Hacakthon: participants, international jury members and organisers

SECreTOUR is a research and innovation action funded under the Horizon Europe Programme of the EU.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

The Winter School, dedicated to advancing the use of 3D technologies in cultural heritage, takes place in Brussels, 21-23 January 2026

EUreka3D-XR presented at the 3D-4CH Winter School

EUreka3D initiative is invited in the Winter School organized by the 3D-4CH Competence Centre project, on 21 January, in Brussels and online: a keynote talk by project coordinator Antonella Fresa will present the openly accesible resources available to all CH professionals developed since 2023: the EUreka3D Data Hub, a EU-based platform for safe storage, management and sharing of 3D assets, and the Step to Success digitization guidelines step-by-step derived from the EU VIGIE Study 2020/654. Additionally, the most recent developments of the project in the realm of XR tools will be shared, showcasing the 5 tools for XR creation and the 3 demonstration scenarios in France, Spain and Cyprus.

The programme of the Winter School features a dynamic mix of keynote lectures, a comprehensive hands-on workshop, and collaborative sessions, tailored for museum professionals, digitisation experts, and cultural heritage practitioners at all levels of experience. The event is part of the Twin it! Part II campaign organized by the Europeana Foundation and the European Commission.

More information, programme and registration: https://www.3d4ch-competencecentre.eu/trainings/3d-4ch-winter-school

Design innovative, immersive environments that inspire change.

Build with Bits (BWB) – 5th Edition

Build with Bits (BwB) is an international online experience, where participants learn how to create virtual environments that generate a positive impact on local issues related to digital culture, education, and this year, we will have a special focus on sustainable tourism.

Join a virtual environment any digital interface where a group of users can remotely collaborate in order to produce, design, edit, publish and/or communicate a creation made by themselves from scratch or from previous digitized assets. A virtual environment is created through the combination of multiple technologies and tools.

Europeana is looking for three projects from different European cities to join Build with Bits 5, which will take place during the first months of 2026.

The call is open until 31 December 2025. After the project selection, we will open a second call to recruit collaborators who will help bring the chosen ideas to life.

By joining Build with Bits, you will:

Receive free training in the design, building, and mediation of virtual environments.
Upskill with new digital tools and creative methods.
Connect with international peers and experts.
Bring to life a project that might otherwise stay on paper.
Strengthen open innovation practices within your institution.
Obtain a certificate of participation.
Gain visibility and the chance to scale up your project.
Learn strategies to engage new and existing audiences.
Create an artistic output validated by an acknowledged institution.

If you’re passionate about innovation, collaboration, and cultural heritage in the digital age, this is your opportunity.

Learn more about how you can participate here and apply through this link.

Open call to museums, research insitutions, GLAMs and more to make use of 3D cultural heritage assets and promote digital innovation.

3DBigDataSpace – Outreach Synergy Call

The 3DBigDataSpace – Outreach Synergy Call offers a unique opportunity for museums and cultural heritage institutions to develop innovative public applications using 3D technologies. Two selected projects will each receive €10,000 to realise their concepts, along with technical guidance from the Time Machine Organisation (TMO). The 3DBigDataSpace project aims to prototype a Europe-wide stable and long-term storage of 3D cultural heritage assets and metadata from different providers and aggregators.

Applicants are invited to submit creative and engaging ideas from AR experiences to interactive exhibitions and installations that make use of 3D cultural heritage assets to inspire audiences and promote digital innovation in the heritage sector. The call is open to museums, research institutions, GLAMs, and other public or private organisations active in cultural heritage, research, or technology.

Deadline: 15 December 2025

Funding: €10,000 per project

Project period: March – June 2026

This is an excellent opportunity for institution that explore with digital creativity, engage new audiences, and connect with a growing European network of heritage innovators.

Learn more at this link.

As part of Springer Series on Cultural Computing (SSCC)

“Endangered Heritage Sites: Enhanced Representations for Informed Solutions” book published

Following the editorial project that called for book chapters back in March 2024, the book Endangered Heritage Sites: Enhanced Representations for Informed Solutions has been published as part of Springer Series on Cultural Computing (SSCC).

The book explores three key dimensions of digital heritage research:

Smart heritage information systems
Heritage forensics
Interactive participation via virtual heritage applications

Highlights:

Offers a detailed analysis of advanced surveying methods and tools for decoding and analysing cultural heritage data
Shows the potential of enriched representations and integrated analyses via case studies of endangered heritage sites
Examines challenges in diagnostic knowledge and interventions for effective preservation strategies

Editors: Stefania Stellacci & Serdar Aydin

INFO: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-91949-7

Girona and online, 29 January 2026

SAVE THE DATE: EUreka3D-XR Demonstration Event & Workshop

The EUreka3D-XR organizes a Capacity Building and demonstration event at a moment when the project’s progress in the development of tools and pilot scenarios has become both visible and significant, offering tangible insights into how 3D and XR technologies can serve the cultural heritage sector.

29 January 2026, 9.30 – 16.00h (CET)
In Girona and Online
Venue: El Modern, Girona

Cultural Heritage professionals, archivists, researchers, and students of these fields are invited to an open event showcasing the outcomes of the project and mainly focusing on the innovative tools developed to enhance access and engagement with digital cultural heritage through 3D and Extended Reality (XR) technologies.

The day will be divided into two parts: a morning hybrid session, focused on demonstrations of the EUreka3D-XR tools and discussion on pilot scenarios; and an afternoon on-site workshop, dedicated to archivists and focused on hands-on experimentation with one of the project’s tools.

Draft programme:

Morning session (hybrid, in English)
9.30h – Welcome coffee
10.00h – Introduction
10.20h – EUreka3D-XR toolbox demonstration
11.20h – Q&A
11.30h – Round table The potential of 3D for Cultural Heritage
12.30h – Q&A and end of morning session
Lunch break
14-16h – Afternoon on-site workshop (English and Catalan): Archives in 3D. From Records to Objects

Detailed Agenda and registration coming soon: https://eureka3d.eu/demonstration-event-workshop/

Dealine: December 8 2026, h. 00.00

AIPAI Photo Contest 2026

“Geometrie dell’aridità” by Erica La Placa. 1st place AIPAI 24/25

AIPAI Photo Contest renews for its 4th edition!

The contest is designed to raise awareness and promote the culture of industry, the memory of work, the architectural, technological and landscape heritage of industrial archaeology, is aimed at professional photographers, amateurs, students, temporary or permanent groups, associations, without limits of age and nationality who will be able to tell, document and represent the industrial heritage through a photographic project that explore twelve macro-areas.

These thematic directions aim to create a mosaic of perspectives where photography is not just a tool of representation, but a true medium for historical and cultural interpretation.

Read how to participate on the official guidelines (IT) at this link.

Read the press release (IT) to learn more on themes, prizes and more:

AIPAI PHOTO CONTEST 2026
QUARTA EDIZIONE
28 settembre – 8 dicembre 2025

Comunicato stampa

Prende il via la quarta edizione dell’AIPAI PHOTO CONTEST 2026, il concorso fotografico organizzato dall’Associazione Italiana per il Patrimonio Archeologico Industriale ETS in collaborazione con: DICEA – Università Sapienza di Roma, Do.co.mo.mo Italia, Ministero della Cultura – Segretariato generale – Ufficio UNESCO, Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica, Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica, Fondazione AEM (Milano), Fondazione ISEC (Sesto San Giovanni), Fondazione MAIRE – ETS (Roma), Fondazione musil (Brescia), RoMe Museum Exhibition e Rete Fotografia.

In palio due premi da 1000 euro, un premio da 500 euro, la pubblicazione sulla rivista “Patrimonio Industriale” e l’esposizione in una mostra itinerante degli scatti vincitori, menzionati e selezionati.

Il contest, ideato per sensibilizzare e promuovere la cultura dell’industria, la memoria del lavoro, il patrimonio architettonico, tecnologico e paesaggistico dell’archeologia industriale è rivolto a fotografi professionisti, amatori, studenti, raggruppamenti temporanei o permanenti, associazioni, senza limiti di età e nazionalità che potranno raccontare, documentare, rappresentare il patrimonio industriale attraverso un progetto fotografico, da presentare entro le ore 00.00 del 8 dicembre 2025.

I PREMI

Al primo classificato dell’AIPAI PHOTO CONTEST 2026 verrà riconosciuta una somma in denaro di euro 1000 per l’utilizzo delle immagini; la novità di questa quarta edizione è il Premio Giampietro Agostini, riconoscimento dedicato alla memoria del noto fotografo e membro di giuria dell’AIPAI PHOTO CONTEST, promosso in collaborazione con Rete Fotografia e conferito al progetto presentato da uno studente di una Scuola di Fotografia che saprà distinguersi per precisione compositiva, uso consapevole della luce e profondità narrativa, a cui sarà conferito un premio del valore di euro 500.

Si riconferma, inoltre, il Premio Mecenati di giovani talenti, che AIPAI ha voluto riservare a fotografi under 35, sostenuto anche quest’anno dalla Fondazione MAIRE – ETS, con cui si prevede la sottoscrizione, entro il 2026, di un contratto d’opera con la Fondazione avente ad oggetto la realizzazione di una campagna fotografica dedicata al patrimonio storico e archivistico del gruppo MAIRE, per un corrispettivo di euro 1.000.

Il vincitore del Premio Mecenati di giovani talenti della scorsa edizione, Giovanni Peyrone, sta realizzando per la Fondazione MAIRE – ETS una campagna fotografica sulla trasformazione della storica sede MAIRE di Via di Vannina (Roma) in polo di ricerca avanzata per la transizione energetica. La campagna mette al centro le figure professionali in cantiere e gli strumenti di lavoro, in un accostamento simbolico che esalta l’uomo e la tecnica, veri artefici del cambiamento.

AREE TEMATICHE

Gli autori sono invitati a misurarsi con dodici macro‑aree di ricerca visiva che spaziano dalla documentazione delle macchine e dei cicli produttivi storici alla rappresentazione dei paesaggi della produzione e delle infrastrutture urbane, fino alla sperimentazione di linguaggi contemporanei sul riuso, la rigenerazione e le pratiche di conservazione e restauro. Altri ambiti includono la memoria sociale del lavoro, la comunicazione visiva dell’industria, il turismo industriale e i processi di “seconda vita” del patrimonio.

Queste direttrici tematiche, ampie e complesse, mirano a comporre un mosaico di prospettive dove la fotografia non è soltanto strumento di rappresentazione, ma vero e proprio medium di interpretazione storica e culturale.

ESITI E PROSPETTIVE

I risultati del Premio AIPAI Photo Contest 2026 e delle sue sezioni speciali saranno resi pubblici il 5 febbraio 2026, in occasione della terza edizione degli Stati Generali del Patrimonio Industriale, articolata tra Bari, Matera e Lecce.

Il corpus fotografico dei progetti vincitori, menzionati e selezionati costituirà la mostra itinerante ospitata in prestigiose sedi espositive italiane, oltre a essere oggetto di un numero monografico della rivista Patrimonio Industriale e di una diffusione online tramite i canali ufficiali AIPAI ETS.

Il concorso, consolidatosi come momento di riferimento per la comunità scientifica e fotografica, riafferma la centralità della fotografia come pratica critica capace di coniugare cultura visiva e patrimonio industriale, restituendo nuova vita e nuove letture alla sedimentazione storica dei luoghi del lavoro e della produzione.

Per consultare il bando: https://www.patrimonioindustriale.it/aipai-photo-contest-2025/
AIPAI ETS- Associazione Italiana per il Patrimonio Archeologico Industriale

sede operativa
c/o DICEA Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile Edile e Ambientale,
Via Eudossiana,18, 00184 Roma