Digital meets Culture

Featuring EUreka3D Initiative summary video

NOW LIVE on Europeana: EUreka3D-XR wrap-up post

As EUreka3D-XR approaches its final stage, we can start to draw conclusions from a fruitful 18 months and are delighted to share the project’s work, achievements and resources: “EUreka3D-XR: exploring cultural heritage through 3D digitisation and XR experiences” is now live on the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage website.

The blogpost explores:

The three case scenarios
EUreka3D-XR project’s aim and scope, including the priority given to Data quality and authenticity
The open-source Toolbox
The infrastructures provided by the projects
The support from the EUreka3D initiative towards the TwinIt! Campaign
The booklet produced in the context of Eureka3D-XR

Read it and learn more at this link<<<<

The blog also features the video summary of the EUreka3D initiative that was showcased at the Final Event in Cyprus. Watch it below:

Online, June 25, 12-1pm CET

MetaHeritage Webinar #6: Heritage Innovation Meets Investment – Connecting Culture and Capital

Cultural heritage is increasingly recognized not only as a societal value but also as a driver of innovation, sustainable development, and economic opportunity. The upcoming MetaHeritage Webinar 6, titled “Heritage Innovation and Investment: Connecting Culture and Capital”, will explore exactly this intersection.

The webinar brings together experts from the fields of cultural heritage, innovation, finance, and digital transformation to discuss how heritage can be sustainably funded, scaled, and integrated into broader innovation ecosystems.

Why this webinar matters

As cultural institutions and heritage initiatives face growing demands for digital transformation, sustainability, and audience engagement, new financing models and investment strategies are becoming essential. This webinar will explore how culture and capital can work together to unlock long-term value.

Key themes include:

Innovative financing models for cultural heritage projects
The role of public and private investment in heritage innovation
Digital technologies enabling new cultural business models
Sustainable strategies for scaling heritage initiatives
Collaboration between cultural institutions, startups, and investors

Who should attend? This webinar is designed for:

Cultural heritage professionals and institutions
Policy makers and public sector stakeholders
Investors and innovation funders
Researchers and digital heritage practitioners
Startups working in cultural and creative industries

MetaHeritage continues to foster dialogue between culture, technology, and innovation. This webinar is an opportunity to explore how investment and heritage can come together to shape a more sustainable and innovative cultural future.

June 4, 2026, The Netherlands

EUreka3D-XR at IIIF Conference 2026

From June 1st to the 4th, IIIF Conference held its 2026 edition: the event is intended for a wide range of participants and interested parties, including digital image repository managers, content curators, software developers, scholars, and administrators at libraries, museums, cultural heritage institutions, software firms, and other organizations working with digital images and audio/visual materials.

During the forth day of this year’s edition of the event, Professor Ronald S. Haynes (University of Cambridge, UK) showcased EUreka3D-XR initiative and the Cyprus pilot of the Saint Neophytos enkleistra during his presentation Prezi 4.0 – Working with 3D & new options.

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To learn more about the IIIF initiative follow this link<<<<

EUreka3D-XR: more dissemination taking place at the Enkleistra of Saint Neophytos

On June 4th 2026, under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council and within the Digital Cultural Heritage Summit 2026, EUreka3D-XR held an additional event that addressed the full pipelines for the use and re-use of 3D content, with the aim of further pursuing the topics discussed within the roundtables held on May 26th, Twin it! Policy Roundtable: 3D and AI for Europe’s culture and heritage and Why we Digitise Cultural Heritage, its Use & ReUse; Persistent Virtual Worlds and AI, held during the EUreka3D-XR Final Event in Limassol.

During this follow-up event, members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus with their teams accompanied by representatives from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the Pilgrimage Tours Office of the Church of Cyprus, the Paphos Development Organisation and the Cyprus University of Technology visited the Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Tala (Paphos) and had the opportunity to explore advanced tech tools involving AI, XR and Metaverse with the support of specialists in the field from the UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage at the Cyprus University of Technology and the Digital Heritage Research Lab: this experience was followed by fruitful discussions around the topic of digitisation of endangered digital cultural heritage and the EUreka3D-XR pursuit of the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021 on the common European data space for cultural heritage.

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Additionally, following the coverage of the first outreach event in the context of EUreka3D-XR organised in Paphos in May 24th, the pan-European television news network Euronews aired an excellent TV report: the coverage brought valuable visibility in Europe and beyond, to the collaborative efforts of researchers, cultural institutions, technology experts and heritage professionals working together to shape the future of digital heritage.

A news article was also published, and at the moment is available in four languages (FR, RU, PL, PT).

21 May 2026, Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)

EUreka3D-XR at 2and3D Photography

On May 21st, on the second day of the 2and3D Photography conference held at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, David Iglésias Franch (CRDI/Photoconsortium) and Axelle Vanmaele (meemoo) had the opportunity to deliver a presentation in the context of EUreka3D-XR project titled Challenges in 3D digitization: experience and resources among prestigious colleagues.

Their presentation, highlighted practical lessons and methodologies developed within the EUreka3D ecosystem. The talk presented concrete experiences in 3D digitisation, drawing from the digitisation of daguerreotypes from the Girona City Council audiovisual archive (CRDI), where the reflective and delicate nature of the objects required experimentation, technical adaptations and iterative testing to achieve high-quality 3D outputs.

Beyond the case study, the presentation showcased how EUreka3D contributes to supporting cultural heritage institutions in addressing technical and operational challenges related to 3D digitisation, access and reuse. By sharing resources, workflows and accumulated expertise, the project promotes more accessible and sustainable approaches to creating and managing 3D cultural heritage content.

The conference proved to be a successful opportunity for exchange and networking, generating significant interest among participants in the resources and expertise offered by EUreka3D. Attendees showed particular enthusiasm not only for the project’s approaches to 3D digitisation, but especially for its solutions supporting the management, preservation and accessibility of 3D content through a dedicated repository.

Download the PowerPoint of the presentation at this link<<<<

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EUreka3D-XR Final Event held successfully in Cyprus

image courtesy: Cyprus University of Technology (Pambos Charalambous)

The EUreka3D-XR project is reaching its conclusion, and has wrapped up its public event in Cyprus with a rich programme that included demonstrations, roundtables, keynote talks, exhibition spaces and more.

The Digital Cultural Heritage in the Era of AI and Extended Reality event showcased the project’s key outcomes and achievements through public presentations delivered by project partners and invited experts in the field. Additionally, a posters exhibition and demonstration booths were available for exploration at the same venue.

The event was held in the context of the Digital Heritage Summit 2026 in Cyprus and was accompanied by additional events:

24 May: on-site milestone demonstration of the EUreka3D-XR’s pilot of Saint Neophytos and the Enkleistra’s Memory Twin and XR experience for participants.
25 May: Internal project meetings and discussions held with EUreka3D-XR partners and Advisory Board members; participation to the Europeana Network Association event in the afternoon.
26 May: EUreka3D-XR final conference and two roundtables in the afternoon.

You can find the recording of the Conference, more pictures and information on the project’s website – follow this link<<<<

Enjoy some pictures of the event (all photos courtesy of EUreka3D-XR consortium and CUT – Pambos Charalambous)

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The Digital Heritage Summit 2026 is continuing with more interesting activities this week, including the HackIt!4EU Hackathon (May 27-28).

26 June 2026, in Brussels and online

Navigating AI, Authenticity and Ethical Challenges in Heritage Collections

Registrations are open for the EUreka3D-XR hybrid capacity building event in Brussels on 26 June 2026:

Navigating AI, Authenticity and Ethical Challenges in Heritage Collections

This interdisciplinary conference explores the intersection of AI, authenticity, and ethics in heritage collections. Experts from museums, tech sectors, and academia will share case studies highlighting responsible innovation with the use of advanced technologies.

26 June 2026, starting h. 10
Hosted at imec, Pleinlaan 9 1050 Brussels
REGISTRATION LINK: https://eureka3d.eu/navigating-ai-authenticity-and-ethical-challenges-in-heritage-collections/

Programme:

10.00h Introduction to the event: the EUreka3D-XR project and what’s next for AI/3D/XR, by Antonella Fresa (EUreka3D-XR project coordinator)
10.15h Demonstrating technological innovation in image display at imec
10.30h Authenticy and AI in cultural collections, Keynote talk by Frederik Temmermans (imec/VUB)
11.10h Case studies and experiences (15 minutes each)
- AI for metadata enrichment of heritage collections at scale, by Axelle Vanmaele (meemoo, Flemish institute for archives)
- Gaussian splatting, by Saeed Mahmoudpour (imec)
- AI in the service of CH, by Ismo Malinen (Museovirasto)
- AI-powered Knowledge Discovery in Digital Collections, by Nicolas Nadisic (KIK-IRPA and Ghent University)
- Crystal clear? Challenges of accuracy and transparency in AI-assisted metadata workflows, by Eva Andersen, Annamaria Van Ingelgem (Ghent University Library – Boekentoren)
12.30h Closing panel & Q&A
13.00h Conclusions

EUreka3D-XR project is co-financed by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union.

June 4, 10-11AM

Metaheritage Webinar #5: Exploring EIT Culture & Creativity Support for European SMEs

The MetaHeritage Webinar Series continues with its fifth session, focusing on the opportunities offered by EIT Culture & Creativity for European SMEs and organisations working across cultural heritage, tourism, and the creative industries. MetaHeritage aims to strengthen collaboration between cultural heritage, technology, tourism, and business ecosystems by supporting knowledge exchange and interregional cooperation across Europe.

The webinar will introduce participants to the programmes, funding instruments, and support structures developed by EIT Culture & Creativity to strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship, and business creation within Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.

As part of the broader MetaHeritage Webinar Series: Unlocking EU Networks for Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Digital Innovation, the session continues the project’s effort to connect stakeholders with European ecosystems, funding opportunities, and innovation networks relevant to heritage-driven digital transformation.

Participants will gain insights into:

Business creation and acceleration opportunities for SMEs
European innovation ecosystems for culture and creativity
Support programmes for scaling ideas and international collaboration
Funding pathways linked to heritage innovation and digital transformation
How cultural heritage organisations and SMEs can engage with European support structures

The webinar is open to SMEs, clusters, cultural institutions, researchers, startups, public authorities, and all organisations interested in innovation in cultural heritage and tourism.

More information and registration at this link.

12 May 2026, Brussels - invitation only event

Twin it! Part II: high-level political Closing Event marking a Milestone for Europe’s 3D Cultural Heritage Strategy

The Twin it! Part II – 3D for Europe’s culture campaign, invited the Ministries of Culture of the 27 EU Member States to submit at least one 3D digitised heritage asset to the common European data space for cultural heritage, stewarded by the Europeana Foundation.

Twin it! Part II 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: as a supporter of the Campaign, EUreka3D-XR enabled publication of 3D models from various Member States plus UK through the EUreka3D Data Hub. View them at this link.

On 12 May 2026, the Twin it! Part II campaign will reach a key political milestone with a high-level ministerial closing event, organised by the Europeana Foundation and the European Commission and under the auspices of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event is by invitation only and will bring together Ministers of Culture from EU Member States to reflect on their national contributions to the campaign and present their vision for the future reuse of 3D-digitised cultural heritage assets across Europe.

The event will highlight how Twin it! Part II campaign is promoting:

The integration of 3D heritage into national strategies
The support of innovation ecosystems
The strengthening collaboration with cultural institutions and tech providers

EUreka3D-XR Project is also taking part in the event with a dedicated booth and materials for participants.

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EUreka3D-XR project is co-financed by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union.

SECreTOUR Networking activities

Cross-Fertilisation process on the topic of Regenerative Tourism Concept

Regenera4MED is a project co-funded by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme of the European Commission to help Mediterranean regions shifting from sustainable to regenerative tourism, including restoring ecosystems, culture and community well-being.

The Regenera4MED project launched an interesting cross-fertilisation initiative with the aim to connect projects and initiatives interested on the topic of Regenerative Tourism Concept.

SECreTOUR participates in the cross-fertilisation initiative.

In this framework, a survey was launched to review and contribute with feedback to the creation of the Regenerative Tourism Manifesto, which seeks to: