ARTEMIS Project Advances Rapidly: Interim Plenary Conference Highlights Innovation and Collaboration in Heritage Research

The ARTEMIS Consortium, in which PO Pixelated Realities is a partner, gathered in the historic city of Lecce, Italy, for its Interim Plenary Meeting on June 19th and 20th, marking a significant step forward for this major European research initiative. Hosted just a few months after the project’s official launch in February, the event brought together project partners, technical specialists, and cultural heritage experts from across Europe to evaluate progress and strategize for the months ahead.

Representatives from Pixelated Realities and fellow partners joined coordinators Franco Niccolucci (Scientific Coordinator) and Luca Pezzati (Project Coordinator) as they set a collaborative tone and reported on progress. “At month six, we are not only on track, but ahead of schedule,” Franco Niccolucci told the assembled participants, affirming ARTEMIS’s pace.

Among the highlights was groundbreaking work in Artificial Intelligence, researchers demonstrated new AI approaches capable of automatically scanning texts and extracting structured annotations compatible with international ontologies. This innovation enables the rapid creation of rich metadata for digitized documents, offering a transformative tool for scholars and cultural heritage professionals by dramatically reducing manual workload and accelerating access to research outputs.

“By participating in the ARTEMIS consortium, our team has an opportunity to exchange valuable experience with consortium partners. The meeting in Lecce once again emphasised that only joint work, openness to innovation and international cooperation allow us to create truly breakthrough solutions.

I am convinced that applying Reactive Digital Twins methodology for cultural heritage, especially endangered by war, climate change, and natural disasters, opens up new horizons for research and the preservation of history. 

It is important to mention that the pilot applications will be consistent for multiple use-cases, making it possible to use them not only on one specific heritage site or object, but also presenting a new solution. We see many possibilities to engage Ukrainian stakeholders here” — Fedir Boitsov, Head of PO Pixelated Realities.

The core of the meeting centered on technical updates: teams presented on the ongoing setup of the project’s digital infrastructure and discussed implementation of diverse services designed to support ARTEMIS’s unique mission. Of the 33 candidate pilot studies originally shortlisted, a refined selection process has now focused efforts on 26 promising pilots, ensuring methodological rigor and alignment with the project’s overarching criteria. 

The ARTEMIS team is making significant investments in training and outreach initiatives to ensure broad accessibility and engagement. The first summer school is scheduled for June 2026, which will mark the beginning of an extensive educational program. To meet the needs of various audiences, a range of delivery methods will be employed, including online guides, interactive workshops, and specialized seminars, all tailored to suit the specific requirements of different end users. The approach will be flexible and adaptable, ensuring maximum impact and accessibility across diverse sectors.

PO Pixelated Realities is a partner in the consortium implementing the ARTEMIS project (under the Horizon Europe programme), which aims to create a digital infrastructure for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage using 3D visualisation technologies.