The implementation of project BG16RFPR002-1.014-0011 "Sustainable Development of the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" has begun, funded under grant procedure No. BG16RFPR002-1.014 "Sustainable Development of Centers of Excellence and Centers of Competence, including specific infrastructures or their associations from the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructure.
The lead organization for project BG16RFPR002-1.014-0011 is Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," and the partners are the following organizations:
• University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG)
• Technical University – Sofia (TU-Sofia)
• National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" (NSA)
• Veliko Tarnovo University "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" (VTU)
• National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIGGG)
• Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at BAS (IEFS)
• Institute for Art Studies at BAS (IAS)
• Institute for Balkan Studies with Center for Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol" at BAS (IBCT)
• Institute of Literature at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IL)
• Cyril and Methodius Scientific Center at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (CMSC)
• National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" (NLCM)
• Regional History Museum – Sofia (RHM-Sofia)
The thematic area of ISIS to which the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" is directed is "New Technologies in Creative and Recreational Industries."
The mission of the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" is to contribute to the discovery of Bulgaria's heritage, its socialization, and its transformation into a resource for prosperity. Because living in an ancient country with historical, cultural, and natural diversity is a privilege, but also a responsibility.
The Heritage BG Center of Excellence transforms Bulgaria's heritage into an economic resource for regional development through the potential of science, the use of new technologies, and the unification of the capabilities of businesses, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. CVP contributes to the training of a skilled workforce capable of developing the tourism industry. It trains educators (teachers, university lecturers, museum researchers, etc.) who are familiar with the opportunities offered by cultural and natural heritage. The CCP contributes to connecting the economy and communities with natural and cultural heritage through new digital products and services based on new knowledge.
The main objective of the project for the period until 2029 is to achieve sustainable development of the Heritage BG Research Center and to form the @Heritage BG ecosystem through:
1. Effective use of the research infrastructure for scientific development and R&D.
2. Good management of research teams and improving the quality of human resources for R&D.
3. Effective international cooperation and mobility of researchers.
4. Integrating @Heritage BG into the country's innovation ecosystem through:
- Transferring improved or new knowledge to interested organizations (business, education, NGOs) to serve as internal innovation in these organizations.
- transferring new digital products and services to interested organizations (business, education, NGOs) to achieve innovation,
- open or authorized access to digital objects contributing to the digital transformation of interested organizations,
- sharing metadata on heritage objects with institutions and organizations in the country and the EU,
- sharing data (e.g., on the socio-economic benefits of heritage) with institutions and other interested organizations.
5. Use of clean/green technologies in infrastructure operation, product and service development.
6. Implementation of joint projects with businesses, NGOs, municipalities.
7. Promotion of heritage through public events and active collaboration with local communities.
Building the @Heritage BG ecosystem is a complex, multi-layered, and lengthy process that combines the application of the latest digital technologies and traditional approaches to heritage management. The actors in this process are diverse, ranging from national and local institutions to businesses and NGOs. Essentially, the strategic goal of the CCP is to achieve effective digital transformation in memory institutions and to encourage the application of new approaches to heritage management in order to reap economic and social benefits from it.
The work packages under which activities are carried out under project BG16RFPR002-1.014-0011 "Sustainable Development of the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" are as follows:
1. Revealing Bulgarian cultural heritage and socialising it through new technologies.
2. Natural heritage as a resource for socio-economic development.
3. Model for socio-economic benefits from cultural and natural heritage at regional level (along the Mesta River valley).
4. Economic and social benefits from heritage through the transfer of knowledge, technologies, and products.
The activities planned under project BG16RFPR002-1.014-0011 are implemented through the infrastructure built under project BG05M2OP001-1.001-0001 "Construction and development of a center for excellence "Heritage BG", funded under the Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth" 2014-2020, Priority Axis 1 "Scientific Research and Technological Development," co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The infrastructure modules are as follows:
- Central Scientific Research Laboratory for Documentation and Modeling of Immovable Cultural Heritage / CSRL-DMNCH – UACEG, Sofia, 1 Hristo Smirnenski Blvd.
- Central Research Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration of Immovable Cultural Heritage / CRL-CR-ICH – UACEG, Sofia, 1 Hristo Smirnenski Blvd. 3. Social Innovation, Recreational Human Design, and Niche Tourism – NSA and RIM, Sofia, Ovcha Kupel Residential District, Banya Ovcha
- Social Innovations, Recreational Human Design, and Niche Tourism – NSA and RIM, Sofia, Ovcha Kupel Residential District, Ovcha Kupel Baths
- Laboratory for Digitization of Intangible Cultural Heritage – IEEM/BAS, Sofia, 6 Acad. Georgi Bonchev St., Bl. 6, Floors 7 and 8
- Laboratory for Digitization of Movable Cultural Heritage – IEEM/BAS, Sofia, 5 Acad. Georgi Bonchev St., Bl. 5
- Laboratory for Digitization of Ethnographic Archives – IEEM/BAS, Sofia, 6A Moskovska St.
- Laboratory for Interactive Map of Arts in Bulgaria – IIA/BAS, Sofia, 5a Acad. Georgi Bonchev St.
- Laboratory "Virtual Map of Bulgarian Literature" – IL/BAS, Sofia, 52 Shipchenski Prohod Blvd., bl. 17, fl. 7-8 9.
- Virtual Cluster "Cyril and Methodius" – KMNC/BAS, Sofia, 13 Moskovska St., 2nd floor
- Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration of Documentary Heritage – NBKM, Sofia, 88 Vasil Levski Blvd.
- Center for Archaeometry – Sofia University, Sofia, Lozenets district, 35 Galichitsa Street
- Center for Large Data Processing – Sofia University, Sofia, colocation is online 3.
- Integration Portal Laboratory – Sofia University, Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., Rectorate, North Wing, Room 220 and online via the Heritage BG Data Center 14. Institute for Heritage Economics and Management – Sofia University, Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., Rectorate, North Wing, Room 220
- Institute for Economics and Heritage Management – Sofia University, Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., Rectorate, North Wing, Room 220 15.
- Laboratory for Digitization of Documentary Heritage (Digital Center) – Sofia University, Sofia,
- Laboratory for the Conservation and Restoration of Documentary Heritage – Sofia University, Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., University Library – Yaitse.
- Educational TV – Sofia University, Sofia, 49 Moskovska St.
- Multifunctional Hall "The Egg" – Sofia University, Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.
- Two mobile laboratories (minibuses with portable technical equipment) for digitization and virtualization of objects from Bulgaria's cultural and natural heritage – stored in the garage of Sofia University, Sofia, Lozenets district, 35 Galichitsa Street.
CBM "Heritage BG" now offers the following services for businesses, municipalities, and NGOs:
- Virtual and physical adventure games based on local legends, history, and culture
- Digitization of objects of various scope, origin, and structure
- Identification of the origin of various types of objects using archaeometry technologies
- Innovative information architecture for online services for SMEs
- Innovative digital guides for the needs of the tourism industry
- Intelligent adaptive system for information protection in local networks
- Consulting services for the needs of the film industry and documentary filmmaking
- Consulting services for the preservation or restoration of immovable heritage
- Consulting services for social innovation, recreational human design, and niche tourism
- Social media marketing
- Building modeling using 3D technologies
- Online system for in-house training
- Legal and ethical framework for regulating the use of artificial intelligence in SMEs
- Preventive conservation for the preservation of paper-based objects
- Provision of digital products for the needs of the media (electronic, print)
- Provision of digital products from the archives of the Central Archives
- Provision of information products (including brochures and videos) for the needs of tourist products
- Provision of educational products and services for staff training
- Development and maintenance of an intelligent archiving system with tape device and robotic automation
- Development of video and audio materials for SME products or services
- Development of marketing materials based on Bulgarian heritage sites
- Development of new tourist routes linked to cultural, historical, and natural heritage sites
- Development of products for advertising campaigns
- Development of products for social innovation, recreational human design, and niche tourism
- Development of content for a hotel smart TV channel
- Rendering of 3D models
- Restoration and conservation of paper media
- Certification of staff qualification levels
- Information archiving system
- Information storage and sharing management system
- Creation of multimedia materials
- High-performance computing (HPC) services
- Services for immovable cultural monuments
- Others by agreement
More information about the services of CCP "Heritage BG": https://s2b.nacid.bg/
More information about the activities of CCP "Heritage BG", the progress of the project, and contact details:
https://www.nasledstvo.bg/
https://www.facebook.com/nasledstvo.bg/?locale=bg_BG
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sJGH_3HNJR8TYUuzoyizA
