Project title
Eastern Mediterranean Science and Technology Center of Excellence for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
Funding Program
Horizon H2020
Funding code
MedStach
H2020-WIDESPREAD-04-2017-TeamingPhase1
Start date
September 1, 2017
Expected Completion
2018-08-31
Description
This proposal aims to contribute to the transformation of Cyprus into a regional cultural heritage (CH) excellence hub, whereby technologically innovation and specialisation will have a prominent development role. To this end, key local public academic institutions and national policy makers / stakeholders are teaming with leading international institutions to lay the groundwork beneath an “Eastern Mediterranean Science and Technology Centre for Archaeology and Cultural heritage”, in short MedSTACH. MedSTACH’s mission and business strategy address Environmental Dimensions of Sustainable Growth, as defined by the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Cyprus (S3Cy), responding, in particular, to the need for protection, promotion and valorisation of the island’s unique CH capital. In addition, MedSTACH addresses all horizontal priorities of S3Cy, namely, Extended Innovation, Human Capital, Promotion of Cooperation, Enhancement of Extroversion, and Information Technologies, as well as Tourism, the major priority sector for Cyprus’s sustainable growth, and the secondary priority sector of Built Environment. In terms of R&I, the envisaged Centre’s activities will encompass the following Key Research Domains (KRDs) that cover multiple facets of archaeological enquiry and cultural heritage priorities: Heritage Exploration; Spatial Inference; Heritage Protection; Material Characterization; these KRDs will be supported by and provide feedback to the Heritage ICT Unit. The activities of the proposed Centre of Excellence on archaeology and CH will contribute to on-going efforts to overcome the present economic crisis in Cyprus, as well as to reconstruct and transform the island’s economy and society according to the strategic framework “Europe 2020”. The depth and breadth of the collective expertise of MedSTACH consortium partners offers the unique potential to overcome local barriers and excel in R&I while promoting smart specialisation and sustainable job creation