SHIFT - Romania
SHIFT (MetamorphoSis of cultural Heritage Into augmented hypermedia assets For enhanced accessibiliTy and inclusion) is an EU-funded project that supports the adoption of digital transformation strategies and the uptake of tools within the creative and cultural industries (CCI), where progress has largely been lacking. Behind the project is a consortium of 13 leading research and industrial organisations and SMEs - from Romania, Germany, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Hungary, and the United Kingdom. Coordinated by SIMAVI, a software company in Romania, the project wants to improve the impact and accessibility of cultural heritage assets, placing a special focus on people with sensory impairments.
About the initiative
The goal of the initiative is to increase the appeal and popularity of historical artefacts and improve the way they are accessed and used by all - through better content representation or enhanced user experiences.SHIFT isalso leveraging advances in AI and Machine Learning (ML) to improve the access to cultural heritage for European citizens with sensory impairments. It aims to enrich the experience of interacting with cultural assets through a range of visual, auditory, and sensory modalities, e.g. haptics. In addition, SHIFT is working on a set of tools and methodologies to enable the contemporary description of cultural assets through language evolution models.
The project works across several topics to advance growth in cultural heritage institutions and explores the latest innovations in:
- artificial intelligence
- machine learning
- multi-modal data processing
- digital content transformation methodologies
- semantic representation
- linguistic analysis of historical records
Why is this a good practice?
SHIFT supports the sustainable transformation of the creative industries - a sector traditionally lagging behind others in the context of the digital transformation. The SHIFT platform will progressively incorporate more digital tools (VR headsets, haptic gloves, etc) to create a more inclusive and immersive experience for all, and especially cultural heritage professionals. The goal is for it to become a key resource for partners and stakeholders in the field.
Since the start of the project, SHIFT has grown in visibility - especially in the cultural heritage sector. The project was featured at the ReImagining Public Collections conference in Budapest, organised as part of Hungary’s rotating EU Presidency of the EU Council. The consortium behind SHIFT has also developed an e-book, published by the Balkan Museum Network on Inclusion in Museums: best practices. The publication showcases transformative efforts within galleries, libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions with a mission to provide access to knowledge (GLAM). The publication includes examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary, and Romania.
