ETT Group takes center stage in the groundbreaking ECHOES (European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science) consortium. This ambitious project aims to build a collaborative cloud platform designed to share, preserve, and enhance Europe’s rich cultural heritage. As part of the broader ECCCH (European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage) initiative, ECHOES marks a historic milestone, representing the largest European investment in cultural heritage to date, with an impressive €110 million budget allocated through 2025.
In this pioneering project, ETT plays a crucial role, leading dissemination, communication, and community-building efforts to bridge the gap between technological innovation and cultural heritage preservation.
ETT’s subsidiary, GruppoMeta, adds further value by leading the development of the infrastructure for specialized vertical applications.
Additionally, the startup TALIA—an innovative spin-off from CNR Pisa in collaboration with GruppoMeta—will contribute cutting-edge AI algorithms and semantic annotation tools to enhance the accessibility and understanding of cultural assets.
ECHOES aims to create an integrated digital ecosystem where digital assets—such as artworks, historical artifacts, and digital creations—are enriched with metadata using cutting-edge technologies like AR and VR. This approach ensures not only the preservation of Europe’s rich cultural heritage but also makes it more accessible and engaging for future generations. By leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced data-sharing technologies, the ECHOES platform will enable the development of digital twins—precise, virtual replicas of cultural assets.
These digital counterparts will offer enhanced opportunities for preservation, research, and interactive exploration. ECHOES embraces open access and fosters collaborative knowledge-sharing, building a dynamic network of cultural and scientific institutions. Starting in February 2025, a cascade funding program will launch, offering grants through calls for proposals. This initiative will expand the available dataset and support the development of new, specialized applications, further solidifying the consortium’s ambitious vision.
For more information about ECHOES, visit: www.echoes-eccch.eu
ECHOES is a project funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement No. 101157364 – ECHOES. The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK Government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [n.10110142 & n.10110466].