17 October 2026 | Athens, Greece
Almost 100 participants joined the fourth and final ChemiNova Open Event on 17 October, gathering at the historic Church of Agia Aikaterini in Plaka, Athens, to discover how science, technology and community engagement can contribute to the protection of cultural heritage.
Organised by ChemiNova project partner DIADRASIS as part of the European Days of Conservation-Restoration 2026, the event brought together families, children and heritage enthusiasts for an afternoon of interactive activities exploring the challenges facing cultural heritage and the innovative approaches being developed to address them.
Discovering cultural heritage through interactive activities
The event offered participants the opportunity to engage directly with cultural heritage conservation through practical activities and demonstrations.
Visitors learned to identify signs of deterioration in heritage assets and explored innovative digital tools, including 3D scanning and virtual reality, discovering how these technologies can support the documentation, investigation and conservation of historic monuments.
The activities also raised awareness of the threats posed by climate change and disasters, highlighting the importance of understanding risks and developing strategies to protect cultural heritage for future generations.
By making these topics accessible to a broad audience, the event encouraged participants to reflect on their own role in safeguarding the heritage around them.
Four cities, one shared goal
The Athens event marked the conclusion of ChemiNova’s series of four public engagement events, following previous events in Valencia, Palermo and Vienna.
Across these four cities, the project has created opportunities for communities to engage with cultural heritage research, explore emerging technologies and learn more about the challenges involved in heritage conservation.
The series reflects ChemiNova’s commitment to making scientific research more accessible and fostering dialogue between researchers, heritage professionals and the public.
Four cities, one shared goal: making heritage conservation accessible to everyone and empowering communities to play an active role in safeguarding their heritage.
Thank you for being part of the journey
ChemiNova would like to thank DIADRASIS for organising the Athens event, all project partners for their contribution to the public engagement programme, and everyone who participated in the activities and helped make the final event a success.
The strong public participation in Athens provided a fitting conclusion to this series, reaffirming the importance of collaboration between science, technology and society in protecting our shared cultural heritage.