The Digital Heritage Summit 2026, organized by the UNESCO Chair for Digital Cultural Heritage of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), in collaboration with Heritage Malta, will take place from May 25 to 29 in Limassol under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council, the Deputy Ministry of Culture, and Europeana.

The conference is being held in collaboration with leading European organizations and initiatives, including Europeana, the European Commission (DG CONNECT), AI4LAM, EUreka3D Competence Center, EUreka3D-XR, Time Machine Organisation, HERITALISE, IMPULSE, the pan-European project ECHOES, and others, a press release said.

It is part of the EuroMed conference series and will be held with the participation of leading experts, researchers, scientists, and policy makers from around the world.

Holding the conference during the Cyprus Presidency gives particular significance to Cyprus's role as a hub of European cooperation and strengthens Europe's position in shaping policies and strategies for the digital transformation of the cultural sector, the press release added. At the same time, it highlights issues such as protecting cultural heritage from looting and illegal trafficking, resilience against climate change, open access to knowledge, and the ethical use of new technologies.

Among the personalities from European institutions, research centers, and international organizations who will participate are Deputy Director for Data Directorate Rehana Schwinninger-Ladak, Head of Interactive Technologies, Digital for Culture and Education Unit of the European Commission (DG CONNECT) Anne Bajart, Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus Dimitris Skourides, Director General of the Europeana Foundation Harry Verwayen, Secretary General of AI4LAM Ines Vodopivec, and leading experts such as Xavier Rodier, Gabriele Gattiglia, Xenophon Zavoulis, Thomas R. Kline, Mikel Borras, Julia Schnitzer, and Dominik Lengyel, who are pioneers in the fields of digital cultural heritage, artificial intelligence, archaeology, law, and digital technologies.

The five-day schedule includes high-level presentations, specialized talks, roundtable discussions, and the innovative Hackit!4EU Hackathon, which focuses on the utilization and reuse of high-quality three-dimensional cultural heritage data.

Within the framework of the summit, the European project EUreka3D-XR (2025–2026) will be highlighted, with the central element being the digital representation of Saint Neophytos's Hermitage in Paphos.

On Sunday, May 24, participants will visit the Hermitage of Saint Neophytos Monastery, after the Divine Liturgy, for a presentation during which the Saint appears in a unique, digital experience.

Source: CNA(ΚΥΠΕ)