At a recent kickoff meeting organized by main coordinator Jagiellonian University (JU) - Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Poland, groundbreaking research activities have begun involving 74 researchers all over the European Union under the sphere of Horizon Europe project. With 36 deliverables such as prototypes, toolkits and guidelines are to be designed to give broader access to underrepresented groups to be part of the flow of enjoyment in shared cultural heritage in a digital form. it is coordinated by Uniwersytet Jagiellonski (Poland), and developed in collaboration with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (Italy),  Universita Ta Malta (Malta), Heritage Malta, Filmuniversitat Babelsberg Konrad Wolf (Germany), Ethniko Kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon (Greece), Magna Zmien Foundation (Malta), Associazione Clust-ER Industrie Culturali e Creative (Italy), K8 Institut Fuer Strategische Aesthetik GGMBH (Germany), and Explodedview sp. z o.o. (Poland).

Connected via VR and AR

Dr. Zaneta Kubic, project manager of main coordinator Jagiellonian University at the kickoff meeting at the inspiring spaces of Auditorium Maximum of JU downtown Krakow, highlighted that already two deliverables were executed before the consortium met in person on 14th May. The 36 months long Horizon  Europe project aims to bring culture closer inclusively. 

Lets see, how... IMPULSE — IMmersive digitisation: uPcycling cULtural heritage towards new reviving StratEgies — the EU-funded project launched on 2nd of February, enters the digitisation processes of cultural heritage. It will radiate waves of transformation of how Europeans engage and interact with its common cultural heritage, breathing life into timeless stories waiting to be told anew – says the manifesto of the project. Therefore, IMPULSE connects researchers, artists, cultural heritage practitioners, CCSIs, local institutions, and other relevant stakeholders to work and explore together immersive narratives, reaching out to diverse audiences across Europe and beyond. As Dr. Katarzyna Kopec, Deputy Director for Teaching, Institute of Culture, Faculty of Management and Social Studies sees it from Jagiellonian University perspective, commitment for unlocking the potential of renewing and upskilling the accessibility of cultural heritage is a never returning opportunity of IMPULSE.

Culture fast beating for all

As it is stated in the project objectives, in the fast-evolving landscape of European cultural heritage digitisation, it is important to improve accessibility, interoperability, and innovative (re)use of digital collections. However, this is not easy – the IMPUSLE thinktank claims. Limitations extend to adapting legal frameworks for contemporary transformations and creative endeavours. Therefore there is a work package for standardization and legal framework. In this context, the EU-funded IMPULSE project aims to revolutionise digitisation methods, and foster a more immersive, accessible, and interconnected experience for diverse audiences in the realms of education, arts, and cultural and creative sectors. 

Project managment support for JU, Dr. Marta Materska-Samek also highlighted that expected partners are from a wide range of fields, including the industry – SMEs, start-ups, spin offs, as well end users with unions, customers, associations, policy makers and regulators: "We cannot forget innovation and research organizations, as well as universities as partners to engage in the ever-changing world of culture. By using Extended Reality (XR), it intends to engage underrepresented communities." Audiences of Europe will soon see the outcomes in practice at excavation sights, museum community spaces, exhibitions that the multiverse of our contemporary world that is still ours and should be shaped by each one of us.