Connecting Innovative Research with Cultural Heritage

The project entitled IFIGENEIA (Innovative Facility for Isotope GENeration with Efficient Ion Accelerator) is being implemented within the framework of the Horizon Europe – WIDERA programme.

It aims to design and investigate the feasibility of an innovative linear accelerator (LINAC) facility in the Balkan region, capable of producing a broad range of radioisotopes, with applications primarily in nuclear medicine, cancer diagnosis and treatment. The project foresees the establishment of interconnected Excellence Hubs in Greece, Slovenia and Cyprus, with the aim of strengthening research and innovation and fostering synergies among universities, research institutions, businesses, healthcare organisations, and other social and cultural organisations. Particular emphasis is placed on the potential of technology to support, beyond the medical field, applications in cultural heritage. In this way, IFIGENEIA aspires to establish a sustainable and interconnected ecosystem for research, technology and innovation across the wider Balkan region. The project is coordinated by the Department of Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (AMTH), through its Department of Chemical, Physical Research & Archaeometry, is the only cultural heritage institution participating in the IFIGENEIA project. The Museum’s role focuses primarily on research and optimization of non-invasive Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques to archaeological objects and works of art. This research is carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the NCSR “DEMOKRITOS”. Drawing on its scientific expertise in archaeometry and in the application of non-invasive analytical techniques to antiquities, AMTH contributes to the development of relevant applications, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and helping to create new research opportunities for the study and protection of cultural heritage.