Innovating Culture Preservation
Connecting Beauty, Technology and Future Through Culture
From EXPO 2020 Dubai to EXPO 2025 Osaka, on the Road to EXPO 2030 Riyadh
A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR DIGITAL CULTURAL HERITAGE
CHEDAR's mission is to protect, enhance and make accessible cultural heritage through an interdisciplinary, technological and collaborative approach
CHEDAR is a project of relevant international interest promoted under the "Legacy Expo 2020 Dubai" programme (Art. 25-ter of D.L. 152/2021 - PNRR) and approved by the Italian Ministry of Higher Education by Research Decree No. 237 of 27.12.2002.
One of CHEDAR main objectives is the establishment of a research and higher education centre dedicated to the 3D digitalization, preservation and (physical) reproduction of cultural heritage.
By integrating advanced technologies such as 3D digitalization, artificial intelligence, digital twins and augmented reality, the Centre develops concrete solutions to face natural and man-made threats to cultural heritage, in line with European and international guidelines.
The Centre, coordinated by the University of Florence, acts as a hub where the interdisciplinary skills of the research groups involved converge in order to develop innovative solutions, in partnership with the Universities of Tuscia, Cassino and South Lazio, Roma Tre, Campus Bio-medico of Rome, Rome "La Sapienza", the National Research Council/Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences, the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara, the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche of Florence and the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro.
FLORENCE UNIVERSITY
ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS OF CARRARA
CAMPUS BIO-MEDICO OF ROME
CASSINO UNIVERSITY
CNR-ISPC
ISTITUTO CENTRALE PER IL RESTAURO
SAPIENZA UNIVERSITY
ISIA FIRENZE
ROMA TRE UNIVERSITY
TUSCIA UNIVERSITY
THE RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION CENTRE
CHEDAR is a research and higher education centre dedicated to the digitalization, preservation, conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage, in line with European and national policies on digital transformation.
It aims to create an innovative cultural ecosystem in which digital resources become essential tools for the protection and enjoyment of heritage, while mitigating natural and anthropogenic risks.
The centre integrates cutting-edge technologies such as 3D modelling, digital twins, advanced diagnostics and artificial intelligence (AI), paying particular attention to the documentation phase of the entire process.
Following the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, it promotes data sharing and accessibility, ensuring the traceability and sustainability of digital assets over time.
Through an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, CHEDAR translates policies into concrete actions, adopting advanced methodologies and promoting the exchange of best practices nationally and internationally.
A STRATEGIC FOCUS ON THE WIDER MEDITERRANEAN REGION
CHEDAR targets Countries in the Wider Mediterranean Area, which includes: the Mediterranean coastal Regions, the Middle East, the Arabian Gulf and the sub-Saharan belt from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf of Guinea.
These Regions represent a cultural crossroads and a highly vulnerable areas, where the effects of anthropogenic and natural hazards - the effects of climate change, the exacerbation of socio-cultural and economic inequalities, extreme events: floods, heat waves, earthquakes, etc. - put tangible and intangible heritage at risk.
The Centre acts as a research and innovation laboratory to generate the tools and knowledge to develop intervention strategies that can be replicated in other contexts.
The ultimate goal is to train a new generation of experts in digital cultural heritage, capable of integrating cultural, technological, and sustainability-oriented competencies to meet the challenges of the present and future with awareness and expertise.
TRAINING AND ADVANCED SPECIALIZATION
The project involves a wide network of universities, research centres and AFAM (Higher Education in Art, Music, and Dance) institutes, recognised nationally and internationally for their excellence in the fields of digitalisation, restoration, 3D modelling and printing, and immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented and mixed reality.
The international dimension of the training is strengthened by the support of two influential global heritage organisations:
ICOMOS Italy (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and CIPA Heritage Documentation, an international scientific committee for the documentation of cultural heritage.
Training is one of the cornerstones of the CHEDAR project, conceived as a strategic tool for the growth of advanced skills in the field of digital cultural heritage.