Presentation
The Cyprus Institute is a non-profit research and educational institution with a scientific and technological focus located in Nicosia (Cyprus). It consists of issue-oriented research centres that address challenging problems at the regional and international levels. Thematic research thrusts are either vertically or horizontally distributed across four interdisciplinary Research Centers, developed in partnership with leading international institutions in their thematic areas:
- The Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC) founded in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- The Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) founded in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and its National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
- The Climate & Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C) founded in partnership with the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, and the University of Helsinki.
- The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) founded in partnership with the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF).
The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC: https://www.cyi.ac.cy/index.php/starc/about-the-center/center-overview.html ) is devoted to the development, introduction and use of advanced science and technologies in the field of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. Key areas of research are Digital Cultural Heritage, Art Characterization, Archaeological Sciences, Environmental Archaeology, Cultural Landscapes & Built Environment, Human Osteo-archaeology, and Scientific Visualization.
The Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories (APAC Labs: https://www.apaclabs.com/ ) at the Cyprus Institute pursue fundamental inquiries, research problems and innovative approaches in Art History, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage through advanced science and cutting-edge technology, a cross-disciplinary scientific exchange driven by broad inquiries in art history and the humanities. The international team integrates expertise in Art History and Archaeology, Digital Heritage and Visualisation, and Physico-chemical analyses. The laboratories' research is part of key European Cultural Heritage and Heritage Science initiatives, such as ERIHS, IPERION-HS and 4CH.
The APAC Labs provide a broad approach to art characterisation, pursuing:
- Research, to advance the effective use of Heritage Science and technology in characterising works of art, monuments and archaeological material.
- Innovation, to develop task-specific service protocols related to material characterisation, provenance, state of preservation and identification of works of art and heritage artefacts.
- Training and Education, through workshops and seminars of experts in art history, archaeology and the humanities, for practitioners, students and citizens at large.
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