Call to Action

As the ENGINEER WIDERA Twinning Horizon Europe project (2022-2025) reaches its conclusion, the consortium members reaffirm their commitment to advancing the study, documentation, and monitoring of cultural heritage and landscape through cutting-edge technologies and collaborative, cross-disciplinary approaches. At the same time, the consortium members stress the importance of communicating the genuine value of heritage, ensuring it is recognized as a source of identity, knowledge, and resilience. This Call-to-Action builds on the shared experience of three years of intensive cooperation across disciplines. It reflects both our achievements and our shared vision for the future of research in the domain of cultural heritage in Cyprus and beyond.

Cultural heritage faces mounting pressures from climate change, urban expansion, environmental degradation, and socio-economic shifts. To respond effectively, we recommend the integration of the ways we document, monitor, and preserve heritage assets by fully leveraging:

• Earth Observation and remote sensing for large-scale, non-invasive monitoring.
• Photogrammetry and laser scanner technologies for accurate recording.
• Advanced technical representation, 3D modelling, and digital twins for systematic monitoring of structures and their geometries.
• Artificial Intelligence and machine learning for pattern detection, diagnostics and simulations.
• Advanced materials analysis for condition assessment and conservation planning.
• Structural modelling and, natural hazards risk assessment for resilient heritage.

We call upon research institutions, heritage agencies, and policymakers to embrace this multidimensional transition, integrating digital technologies, advanced scientific techniques, and cross-disciplinary innovation to aid interpretation and informed decision making in heritage care and management.

The ENGINEER project demonstrated that no single discipline can address the complexity of cultural heritage. Only through multidisciplinary collaboration we can:

• Understand the interaction between materials, structures, and environment.
• Bridge the gap between data acquisition and interpretive. knowledge relying on a deeper understanding of historic construction for a more accurate use of compatible materials and technologies.
• Link scientific methods with heritage practice and the public value of preservation.

We urge universities, research entities, professional institutions, and funding bodies to promote multidisciplinary expertise and cross-sectoral training, enabling researchers and technicians in the public and private sector to collaborate more fluently across traditional disciplinary boundaries. This multidisciplinary approach must encompass the full spectrum of tools and methods, from numerical structural models to advanced digital tools for documentation and monitoring.

Digital tools must be accessible, and research outputs interoperable and reusable. In order to support more integrated, inclusive and sustainable research we advocate for:

• Open data platforms and digital repositories for heritage documentation.
• Accessible infrastructures to support transnational studies.
• FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
• Documented and reproducible models.

We call for investment in sustainable data infrastructures and for the establishment of a collaborative platform linking public and private actors in European level, dedicated to sharing technological experiences and best practices in tangible heritage. We further encourage the adoption and implementation of international principles, guidelines and directives developed in dialogue with the heritage community to ensure the long-term impact of scientific work and its integration into heritage management.

Heritage authorities at national and local level are in charge of archiving the information collected on historic buildings, archaeological monuments and sites and on cultural landscapes. It is of highest importance that this valuable information is properly stored, updated and shared with specialists and scholar but also with the wider public. We ask and offer scientific support for:

• Active digitalisation of public archives.
• Sharing of information with specialists and scholars to (i) avoid duplication of data collection and (ii) to create a concrete added value to the public administration assets.
• Active involvement of the general public in order to raise awareness on the cultural but also economic importance of built heritage and its surrounding landscapes.

Europe is uniquely positioned to lead in heritage innovation. Cyprus can give a strong contribution to this matter due to its:

• Rich and diverse cultural landscape.
• Expanding ecosystem of research institutions and centres of excellence.
• Active participation in collaborative frameworks at European level (e.g., Horizon Europe, New European Bauhaus, Digital Europe).

We call on the Cypriot institutions to:

• Create and facilitate cross-cutting funding schemes that connect heritage with digital, green, and resilient transitions, fully embedded within the framework of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and broader European sustainability agendas.
• Recognize and invest cultural heritage as a priority area in research and innovation strategies.

Support R&I agendas in heritage that are mission-driven, tackling challenges such as climate adaptation and societal resilience while aligning with national Smart Specialisation Strategy

Scientific innovation must be translated into actionable insights for public authorities, professional involved in preservation and local communities. We advocate for:

• Stronger ties between academia and heritage authorities, consolidated through legislative instruments.
• Policy uptake mechanisms to scale innovative solutions.
• Capacity-building programs for practitioners and heritage custodians.

We call on cultural heritage authorities and NGOs to co-develop solutions with researchers, ensuring that digital innovation meets on-the-ground needs.

Education is directly linked to the needs of the job market, but in the field of cultural heritage it also has the potential to foster wider societal and regional growth. The next generation will not only need digital skills and access to data, software and devices, but also the ability to work across disciplines. We therefore call for a stronger focus on:

• Planned and structured introduction of digital technologies into students’ curricula.
• Ensuring the digital literacy at all levels of education.
• Providing lifelong learning skills for heritage care.
• Creation and systematic update of digital skills across science, technology, engineering and the humanities.

Public engagement must be central to cultural heritage research. Interactive visualizations, digital storytelling, and participatory mapping can foster:

• Greater awareness of heritage values.
• Community involvement in preservation activities.
• New forms of cultural tourism and education.

We call on heritage projects to embed citizen science, co-creation, and public communication from the outset, ensuring inclusivity and impact.

The ENGINEER consortium is committed to continuing collaboration through:

• Joint project proposals under Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and COST.
• Open research partnerships and capacity-building in Widening regions.
• Strategic alignment with EU missions and the Sustainable Development Goals.

We invite all stakeholders—researchers, institutions, authorities, communities—to join us in co-designing the future of heritage innovation.