Technological consortium to develop sustainability of underwater cultural heritage
Documentation and conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) is crucial to preserve humankind’s history and traditions, safeguarding tangible testimonies of past human life while ensuring its accessibility to present and future generations. TECTONIC project will promote an intersectoral collaboration between academic and non-academic professionals (such as technical experts, archaeologists, conservator, geologists, engineers, computer scientists) working in different topics related to the UCHs to respond and find solutions to the complex issues still existing in the field of UCH. The overall aim is the exchange of skills and expertise, the training activities for the implementation, improvement and assessment of innovative materials, techniques, tools and methodologies to develop solutions and marketable products for the conservation, restoration and management of the UCH (objects, artefacts, structures, remains etc.). To achieve its overall aim, TECTONIC project will undertake innovation and development activities driven by the following objectives:  Study, documentation and 3D reconstruction of the selected pilot sites;  Decision support tool for UCH risk assessment in a changing environment;  Conservation studies, protocols and suitable procedures for preservation/conservation activities;  Development of open and low-cost robotic solutions for the inspection, documentation and monitoring of UCH;  Raising the public awareness and knowledge about the importance to preserve the underwater historical and archaeological heritage.  All the objectives will be devoted to stimulate new ideas that would bring to the development of new marketable products by capitalizing on the research results that will be achieved in the project, creating a link between business, research and higher education.