The new NHSF Research Priorities task group is now re-visiting that work to add more research to the database and highlight new gaps that have arisen since 2015. The work starts with a pilot exercise in July 2025, with the goal of rolling it out more widely in the autumn.

Your organisation must be eligible for UKRI funding.

Hosted by the network of excellence for Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage, supported by the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering at Imperial College London.

This will support UK researchers to access cutting-edge facilities in Europe.

In March 2025 UCL successfully secured funding to acquire a Bruker IRIS combined XRF-Hyperspectral scanner. This ground-breaking piece of equipment has the potential to unlock new research opportunities and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

It's developed by ECHOES (European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science) - funded by the European Commission and UK Research and Innovation.

State-of-the art digital twins and AR/VR technology to bridge the gap between heritage and innovation.

A 3-year research project involving a consortium of 22 European partners and 2 affiliates, led by the National Research Council of Italy.

A first conference by the National Heritage Science Forum to explore 'what's next for heritage science'.

2025 themes:

The economic value of heritage science

Towards sustainable historic buildings

Digital innovation in heritage science

Complemented with a networking session and practical demonstrations of analytical equipment at the Engine Shed.

A new resource to support heritage professionals to safeguard collections of heritage samples - a vital resource for research and training.

An event (September 2025) to explore the use of mathematics in cultural heritage applications.

Aims to bring researchers from different disciplines together to explore the potential for using mathematical and statistical techniques in solving pressing problems in the study and preservation of cultural heritage.

Use the data catalogue to find heritage science and conservation research data. Use the catalogue of services to discover research facilities including reference collections. These are pilot catalogues that will continue to develop over the RICHeS programme.

1 - Enhance access to heritage resources (make your heritage science data and collections accessible).

2. Build virtual research environments (partner with STFC Hartree's software engineering experts on cutting-edge digital tools).

Deadline - 28 November 2025.

Arches is an open-source data management platform that is freely available for organisations worldwide to install, configure and extend.

Event surveying the history & development of heritage science through physics research & technology. Generates interdisciplinary collaboration by encouraging researchers to consider and discuss the applications of developments in physics research to heritage science.

21st May 2026

The Green Cluster for Science and Conservation Research (a Horizon Europe Research Initiative uniting the work of GoGreen Conservation, Greenart Project, and Moxy EU Horizon) ran a free webinar helping heritage professionals to incorporate a green decision-making framework into their practice.

This is an example of translating research on sustainability in conservation into practice, and of sector progress towards tackling the climate emergency, which the Strategic Framework 2024-27 highlights as a key Societal Challenge to inspire and encourage connections between heritage science research and issues of importance to society.

The VRE is a ‘digital workbench’ designed to support professionals across heritage science, heritage, and related fields by providing a central platform to remotely access resources that would otherwise be limited by access to specialist infrastructure or computing power. This includes specialist software (such as Blender, QGIS, CloudCompare, etc.) and HSDS datasets.

Current applications include calibrating large numbers of radiocarbon dates and automated feature detection of cultural heritage features within LiDAR datasets.

The VRE was built by the STFC Hartree Centre.

The National Gallery has launched a call for survey participation as part of the International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) based Heritage Samples Registry, an emerging international initiative to support persistent identification, discovery, and sharing of physical samples used in heritage science. 

The Registry is a collaboration between The National Gallery, KIK-IRPA, Hellas FORTH, and the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, supported by ECHOES EU and others. 

They are seeking both to understand current practice and to gauge support for/interest in engaging with the Registry's services as it develops. The survey will collect practical perspectives from a range of researchers and institutions, including those working in heritage science, conservation studios & labs, and other related environments.  The survey is international and offers translations into Greek, German, Spanish, French & Italian.

The HVAC Shutdown Group is running a day conference (Leeds, 2027) on sustainability and conservation concerns & challenges surrounding HVAC and cooling systems in collections storage.

The conference is led by the University of Brighton Design Archives and enabled by an award from the University of Brighton Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-supported Impact Acceleration Account and organised in collaboration with the University of Leeds Libraries’ Cultural Collections & Galleries.  

This is an example of translating cultural heritage sustainability and materials science research into practice, as well as building links between academia and heritage institutions.

The Association of Independent Museums and the National Museum Directors’ Council have launched the Museum Climate Hub, a growing collection of trusted sector resources to help you and your organisation on your sustainability journey.

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