The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), both partners of the KulturGutRetter, are involved in the PROCULTHER-NET project.
Since the beginning of January 2022, two of KulturGutRetter’s partners have been involved in the PROCULTHER-NET project, co-funded by the European Union DG-ECHO. The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) have joined forces with partners from Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Turkey, to better integrate the protection of cultural heritage in the civil protection mechanisms, at national and European levels.
The closer collaboration and the interoperability between the cultural heritage and civil protection sectors are at the heart of PROCULTHER-NET. The DAI and THW bring to the project the experience and insight acquired in this area during the development of KulturGutRetter. Among others: expertise for international interventions, structure for an emergency response team, guidelines for data management and digital infrastructure, but also the modular equipment developed for KulturGutRetter by the LEIZA, and a concrete operational example of interdisciplinary emergency intervention with the logistics network Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Ukraine.
After several online meetings, the members of the PROCULTHER-NET Consortium have met in person in Rome, in September 2022. This two-days workshop was the opportunity to strengthen the growing thematic community and to validate the next developments of the project. Collaboration continues on the basis of this fruitful meeting, in order to increase the engagement of the cultural heritage and civil protection sectors. With their project partners, the DAI and THW will contribute to the development of tools and recommendations to support knowledge development for the protection of cultural heritage from disasters.
About PROCULTHER-NET
Protecting cultural heritage from disasters is a challenging new frontier for disaster risk management and civil protection operations. Improved coordination, effectiveness and efficiency at national and European level will help overcome dangerous situations that put cultural heritage at risk.
PROCULTHER-NET seeks to strengthen the link between science and decision-making with knowledge to help reduce the vulnerability of disaster-prone communities and ensure more sustainable and informed intervention procedures. The project sets out to establish a European thematic community based on protecting cultural heritage and equip civil protection experts with relevant knowledge and skills.
Drawing on the extensive network of contacts and technical and operational content built up through the previous PROCULTHER project, PROCULTHER-NET will consolidate and expand multidisciplinary and risk-based exchange practices in the field of cultural heritage protection in an emergency.
Using a science-based and people-centred approach, the identification of cultural heritage-focused capacities will feed knowledge-building efforts and ensure that decision-making can be more effective and consistent.
Project Coordinator:
Dipartimento della Protezione Civile, proculther-net@protezionecivile.it
Associated Participants:
ICCROM, Ministry of Interior – AFAD Turkey, Deutsches Archäologisches Institute (DAI), Ministère de l’Intérieur – France, Fondazione Hallgarten – Franchetti Centro Studi, Consejeria de la Junta de Castilla y Leon, Technisches Hilfswerk (THW), Universidade do Porto, Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa.
