“Safeguarding the Future of Our Past”
iPhotoCult Policy Roundtable Event, FORTH, May 12, 2026

Rationale: It is recognized that current global geopolitical challenges as well as natural and antropogenic disasters cause growing threats to protecting, preserving and securing Cultural Heritage (CH). In this context, bold and strategic actions are needed for safeguarding the future of our past.

The Policy Roundtable Event “Safeguarding the Future of Our Past” was hosted virtually on May 12, 2026 by the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser – Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (IESL-FORTH), which is leading the iPhotoCult project. It brought together an audience of 45–50 participants, including, CH preservation experts and research scientists, industry representatives, digital science and AI experts, and European Commission policy officers.

During this event several priorities related to CH protection were raised, including:

• The continuity following the end of a CH research project, the so-called continuity gap. 
• The importance of preventive conservation versus post-damage interventions.
• Ways of promoting European soft power and Science Diplomacy through CH research.
• Enhancing the impact of AI technologies applied in CH by improving the quality of data fed in relevant AI tools.

To this end, for ensuring the physical survival of historical assets, emphasis should be placed towards proactive, data-driven, and continuous technological monitoring. Also, given the rapidly evolving war economy, a more general question arises as to how CH protection actions can maintain their impact and compatibility with the “green” European priorities.