IPERION CH is a consortium of 24 partners that aims at establishing a unique European research infrastructure for restoration and conservation of Cultural Heritage. It offers training and access to a wide range of high-level scientific instruments, methodologies, data and tools for advancing knowledge and innovation in the preservation of Cultural Heritage. IPERION CH is part of E-RIHS ESFRI proposal.

PERION CH vision

IPERION CH at a glance. The IPERION CH consortium is determined to take up the challenge outlined in the Horizon 2020 – Work Programme 2014-2015 for European research infrastructures, which calls for the establishment of a unique European research infrastructure for restoration and conservation of Cultural Heritage, encompassed in this proposal by the term Heritage Science. Heritage Science is a cross-cutting domain embracing a wide range of research disciplines supporting the various aspects of tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage conservation, interpretation and management. IPERION CH integrates national facilities of recognized excellence in Heritage Science.

It aims at establishing a distributed RI with a sustainable plan of activities, including offering access to a wide range of high-level scientific instruments, methodologies, data and tools for advancing knowledge and innovation in the preservation of Cultural Heritage. IPERION CH connects researchers in the Humanities and Natural Sciences and fosters a trans-disciplinary culture of exchange and cooperation for the growth of the European Research Area. IPERION CH pursues the integration of European world-class facilities to create a cohesive entity playing a leading role in the global community of Heritage Science. For this reason, IPERION CH has the intention of applying for inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap. In the coming years, IPERION CH will work towards fulfilling all conditions necessary to establish an EU RI, either as an ERIC or as some other suitable legal entity, following the decisions of participating Member States.

An advanced multidisciplinary community of researchers. Fourth in a line of successful projects, IPERION CH can claim a long-term experience and invaluable knowledge accumulated by the consortium of partners over the last fifteen years through Framework Programmes 5, 6 and 7 in the LabS-TECH network [2] and the I3 projects Eu-ARTECH [3] and CHARISMA. The high level of coordination between its distributed facilities allows the integration of all IPERION CH access services and activities in order to provide comprehensive support to the Heritage Science community. IPERION CH consists of 23 partners from 12 Member States plus one in the US together with a large network of affiliations and collaborations (link to a map “all potential partners”).

The consortium joins together major centres of research in Heritage Science, including outstanding research institutes, as well as prestigious research laboratories and conservation centres in both museums and universities. Their high reputation arises not only from their facilities but from the international reputation of the scientists within them for research combining technical expertise with great historical knowledge of material cultural heritage of all types. IPERION CH is also affiliated to the Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities, DARIAH ERIC [4], represented in the consortium by INRIA [5].