Events

EVENTS

To ensure that CULTURATI research and development actions are as impactful as possible, a strong emphasis is placed on communication and outreach to raise awareness, understand, and adopt the results. The communication strategy is built around a collaborative approach, connecting the research teams in universities and applied field sites, consumers of cultural heritage and arts, including CULTURATI users, stakeholders in the industry, and civil society. Recognising the diversity of users, the strategy will utilize a variety of communication channels and tools to reach the target audiences and stakeholders.

NATIONAL EVENT

CULTURATI LAUNCHED

The CULTURATI project was launched with international fanfare at the Bilkent Hotel and Conference Centre in Ankara on 8^th of March, 2023.

The event was attended by more than 100 guests, including the Finnish Ambassador H E Ari Mäki, and Italy’s Cultural Attaché Maria Luisa Scolari. Rector of Bilkent University Prof Dr Kürşat Aydoğan, Deputy Governor of Ankara Turan Yılmaz, and Prof Hasan Mandan, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) delivered the opening addresses. The speakers highlighted the international significance and cutting edge nature of the project, which will use state-of-the-art technology to build resilience back into a cultural heritage sector that was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

oPENING SPEECHES

President of TÜBİTAK

Professor Hasan Mandal, President of TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council), listed the major technological innovations to address the complex needs of dynamic societies for sustainable development and stressed that the project will have a global impact on the use of mobile and other innovative communication technologies for cultural collaboration among societies by way of the pioneering vision of Turkish and international academics and researchers. The project will use reiterative and collaborative innovation that perfectly matches today’s versatile societal development issues. He stated the importance of supporting the resilient infrastructure of the pandemic-weakened cultural and creative industries with the support of the project to form a sustainable cultural ecosystem in the future.

Ankara Deputy Governor

Ankara Deputy Governor Turan Yılmaz emphasized that the cultural industry produces accessible and user-friendly platforms through digital vehicles and noted the development of innovative technologies. He has promised that CULTURATI will be of substantial added value to the cultural and tourism sector with the help of its technologies to protect cultural heritage. Yılmaz added that the project's originality came to the fore with the creation of special personalized themes in the places we see and research. Yılmaz also stated that CULTURATI will help promote Ankara’s many museums and historical and cultural sites, especially the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, as the project team includes academicians and stakeholders under the coordination of Bilkent University. He completed his speech by expressing that the governorship of Ankara will always support the CULTURATI project.

Following these opening addresses, Bilkent University faculty member and project coordinator Dr. Eda Gürel gave more details on the substance of the project. Coming under the Horizon Europe heading of Global Challenges and Industrial Competiveness, the project aims to design and develop an inclusive culture and arts ecosystem, building a global platform that enables artists, institutions, and individuals to create, share and experience content. Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies involving cloud and mobile technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), motion sensors, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), CULTURATI has two principal aims: (1) to enhance visitor experiences by providing customized information based on the knowledge level and preferences of the individual visitor, and (2) managing visitor flows on-site, to avoid over-crowding and ensure social distancing at site-based CCIs where required (such as in case of a pandemic).

Özer Aydemir, the founder of one of the project partners, IOTIQ, then introduced the partners who will be developing and delivering the technology component of the project. In addition to IOTIQ, these include NIMBEO and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid from Spain. Prof. Dr. Altay Güvenir, Dean of Bilkent University’s Faculty of Applied Sciences, will also contribute to the development of the AI component of CULTURATI.

BLENHEIM PALACE

The National Presentation of the CULTURATI Project concluded with an address by David Green, Innovation Manager of Blenheim Palace, a British World Heritage Site.

The National Presentation of the CULTURATI Project concluded with an address by David Green, Innovation Manager of Blenheim Palace, a British World Heritage Site which is a project partner and one of the project test case locations. In a short film showcasing the current work, needs and priorities of Blenheim Palace, Green outlined the ways in which CULTURATI is expected to complement and enhance ongoing smart technology initiatives at the site, in particular by enriching visitors’ experiences with the help of customization and capacity optimization.