Heritage conservation is most effective when it begins not with the repair of damage, but with its prevention.
Cultural heritage is not only a value of the past, but also a local identity, a community resource, and a sustainable tourism opportunity. Its preservation works best when we do not only intervene when the damage has already been done. PROTECH 2024 – Preventive appROaches To the conservation of Europe’s Cultural Heritage The project focuses on preventive conservation. It examines how to predict, monitor and mitigate risks to heritage assets. The project links social innovation, digital technologies, data management and artificial intelligence with heritage protection. Such tools may include 3D scanning, drone or satellite monitoring, digital documentation and predictive analysis.
Who is it useful for?
PROTECH 2024 is for those who want not only to preserve cultural heritage, but also to manage it sustainably, showcase it and transform it into a community resource.
Details
- For local authorities
It can help to ensure that the preservation and tourism utilisation of local heritage assets are more strongly represented at a strategic level too. - For heritage institutions and museums
You can provide good practices and technological examples in the fields of preventive conservation, monitoring, and documentation. - For tourism operators
The sustainable utilisation of cultural heritage can result in new visitor experiences, thematic routes and digital presentation formats. - For tech businesses and digital service providers
It can offer a connection point for 3D scanning, data visualisation, sensor monitoring, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. - For universities and research institutes
It can open up opportunities for research and methodological cooperation in the borderlands of heritage conservation, tourism, social innovation and digital technologies. - For local communities and civil society organisations
The project supports the utilisation of community knowledge and the strengthening of local identity connected to heritage.
Why is this needed?
Heritage conservation becomes truly vulnerable when we only react after damage occurs, rather than anticipating and managing risks in advance.
Details
Europe's cities and regions boast a rich cultural heritage: historic buildings, archaeological sites, museum collections, landscape values and intangible heritage. Traditional heritage conservation often focuses on repairing damage. This is expensive, time-consuming and in many cases offers only a partial solution. PROTECH 2024 provides a new approach to this: it combines preventive conservation, community participation and technological innovation. For Central Transdanubia, this is important because the region possesses significant built heritage, tourist appeal and cultural values that strengthen local identity, whilst digital heritage conservation solutions and cooperation among stakeholders still have room for development.
How does the project help?
PROTECH 2024 aims not only to preserve the heritage, but also to make visible in good time the risks that could later cause serious damage.
Details
The aim of the project is to improve the application of policy instruments related to the management of cultural heritage and to strengthen a preventative approach. The main focuses of PROTECH 2024 are:
- identification of preventative conservation good practices;
- exploring digital documentation and monitoring solutions;
- applications of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics;
- strengthening community participation in heritage conservation;
- linking heritage conservation, sustainable tourism and the creative industries;
- development of policy instruments based on international learning.
Practical application
The project becomes tangible when the condition of a heritage site is not just checked occasionally, but continuously monitored, documented, and protected through preventative decisions.
Details
Let us imagine a historic building, archaeological site or cultural heritage element threatened by moisture, temperature fluctuations, visitor pressure, vandalism or the impacts of climate change. The problem often only becomes visible when the damage is already significant. PROTECH 2024 can help stakeholders learn about regular condition assessment, digital documentation and monitoring methods. Thus, heritage conservation does not remain an isolated professional task, but can become a shared cause of local development, tourism, innovation and community identity.
Our role
The role of KDRIÜ is to connect actors in cultural heritage, digital technologies, tourism and regional innovation in a shared space for thinking.
Details
KDRIÜ is participating as a Hungarian project partner in the PROTECH 2024 cooperation. Its main task is to make international good practices and policy lessons useful for heritage conservation, tourism, digital, research and innovation actors in the Central Transdanubian region. The project is linked to the Central Transdanubian smart specialisation strategy, particularly in the areas of cultural heritage, tourism and digital transformation. One of KDRIÜ's important tasks is PROTECH HUB preparation of its concept: that of a collaborative platform that can connect heritage management, tourism, digital and innovation actors.
Partnership
The PROTECH 2024 partnership connects various European heritage, urban, museum, development and policy actors in a joint learning process for preventive conservation. 9 partners are implementing it from 7 countries, with the participation of an associated policy authority.
Details
Managing partner:
- General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Regional Government of Castilla y León – Spain
- City of Antwerp – Belgium
- Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum Estonia
- Langhe Monferrato and Roero Development Agency – Italy
- Centre for Development of the East Planning Region – North Macedonia (discovery partner)
- Central Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency Nonprofit Ltd. – Hungary
- Saint Mary the Royal Foundation of Historic Heritage – Spain (advisory partner)
- Ministry of Culture – Estonia
- National Institute of Heritage – Romania
- Municipality of Acqui Terme · Italy
Are you interested in the project?
For further information, please visit the official project page or contact the project manager.
Official project page
Programme
- Interreg Europe
Full project title
- PROTECH 2024 - Preventive appROaches To the conservation of Europe’s Cultural Heritage
Status
- Under implementation
Maturity period
- 1 May 2025 – 31 July 2029.
Project
ID
- 03C0830
Project participants
Paulusz Patrik
project coordinator
Results and related knowledge base materials
The results of PROTECH 2024 will be truly useful if a preventive heritage protection operation is built upon the good practices, digital solutions and policy lessons. The project results are continuously expanding as the work progresses.
Details
- Collection of good practices
Examples of preventive conservation, community engagement, digital heritage preservation and sustainable tourism. - PROTECH HUB concept
The planned model of the cooperation platform for heritage protection, tourism, digital, and innovation actors in Central Transdanubia. - Policy development proposals
Suggestions on how the digital protection and monitoring of cultural heritage can feature more strongly in regional development thinking. - Materials for workshops and seminars
Presentations, summaries and lessons learned from the international learning events. - Capacity-building and communication materials
Methodological materials, project poster, newsletters, videos, press releases, infographics and social media content.