AGM for CuHe – Advanced Green Materials for Cultural Heritage

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The Project
“AGM for CuHe – Advanced Green Materials for Cultural Heritage” aims to improve knowledge on innovative materials for the restoration of monuments in areas where cultural heritage has the potential to become a driving force for economic development. The project involves advancing knowledge in the development of models under seismic stress conditions aimed at the protection of monuments located in high seismicity areas. Before application to real cases, the restoration intervention is modelled based on substrate data and on the interactions with the experimental materials. The experimental development is possible thanks to the industrial partnership, research organizations and stakeholders, and by setting up pilot restoration sites where all phases of the project, from testing to restoration, can be shown for a more responsible tourism. Pilot production lines will also be set up to test the reproducibility of the geopolymer products identified in the laboratory.

Financial Resources
The 42-month project was financed by the NOP Research and Innovation 2014-2020 under Axis II “Thematic Projects”, Action “Clusters” which finances industrial research and experimental development projects in the 12 specialization areas identified by the National Research Programme ‒ Programma Nazionale per la Ricerca (PNR) 2015-2020 ‒ in particular in the “Cultural Heritage” specialization area. For the implementation of this initiative, a budget of 4.963.803,06 euro was allocated to the following beneficiaries forming the public-private partnership:

University of Catania (lead partner);
University of Florence;
National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM);
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia;
University of Pisa;
Distretto Tecnologico Sicilia Micro e Nano Sistemi Scarl;
E.G.A.RES. Srl;
Piacenti Spa;
SB Engineering Srl;
Costruzioni Edil Ponti Scarl;
LBC Società Cooperativa Artigiana

Impact on the Territory
The project will bring benefits to the cultural heritage sector by activating a systemic path that, starting from the formulation of innovative, eco-friendly, smart materials that also have excellent technical properties, will encourage restoration interventions and lead to a new idea of tourism.
“AGM for CuHe” will have a significant positive impact on employment with the training of professionals in less developed regions in various fields:

extraction and recycling of materials for the production of innovative products;
production of restoration materials;
restoration activities and activities related to the use of restored buildings.

“AGM for CuHe” is in line with the actions of the European Commission which considers cultural heritage a resource for economic growth, employment and social cohesion and for the revitalization and promotion of sustainable tourism. The new materials will help increase the competitiveness of Sicily in the production of innovative restoration materials at the national level, also thanks to the development and testing of a pilot line that will be developed following the transfer of knowledge from universities to companies which, in turn, will contribute their experience in industrial and experimental development. A highly innovative aspect of the approach adopted in the project to produce new restoration materials is the use of special natural or industrial and demolition waste.

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AGM for CuHe – Advanced Green Materials for Cultural Heritage