ICCROM – International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property

The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is an intergovernmental organisation created by UNESCO in 1956 and established in Rome, Italy, in 1959. It is concerned with the conservation of movable and immovable heritage worldwide. ICCROM’s mission is to provide Member States with the best tools, knowledge, skills and enabling environment with which to preserve their cultural heritage for the benefit of all people. ICCROM achieves this by studying and promoting cultural heritage conservation, mobilizing and coordinating expertise, sharing knowledge and providing training and research tools to strengthen the professional conservation community.

ICCROM will contribute to the APACHE project primarily through providing general advisory, coordination and dissemination services, to enhance the communication and impact of the APACHE project.
These include:
– contribution to the evaluation and testing of the decision support tool for preventive conservation
(WP5),
– coordination of the user group within the project to ensure information flow between the various
work packages within the project and user institutions (WP7),
– general dissemination of project information and findings to a wide range of stakeholder communities
within ICCROM member states (WP7),
– Facilitation of training and dissemination activities undertaken by partners within APACHE (WP7).
This project with its aim to develop low cost sensors, passive buffering materials and a decision support tool for preventive conservation is highly solution orientated in its approach and presents a valuable opportunity to improve current preventive conservation practice worldwide. Participation in the APACHE project will support ICCROM in its function to provide best information and advice to its member states, thus extending the project impact.

Expertise and infrastructure related to the project

ICCROM has an enduring mandate and a proven record of accomplishment in knowledge sharing and the delivery of interdisciplinary training. As an intergovernmental organization in the service of 136 member states, ICCROM is recognised as an international reference point concerning heritage conservation and brings a global perspective regarding the management and care of cultural heritage, and the current challenges facing the conservation sector.
ICCROM promotes inclusive, integrated and interdisciplinary approaches to conservation, whereby consideration of significance and values, scientific investigations and conservation practice go hand in hand and has a wealth of experience regarding interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and development of practice orientated solutions. For over 50 years, ICCROM has been providing interdisciplinary international mid-career training in topics ranging from heritage management, disaster risk reduction, to preventive and remedial conservation. In addition, ICCROM is able to provide specific expertise in the area of preventive conservation through its staff member Dr. Alison Heritage, who, as a research scientist, wall paintings conservator and educator has a deep interest in promoting greater integration of research with practice in order to deliver practical solutions for conservation. Her recent work at ICCROM on enhancing the impact of research in heritage conservation through improved knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement is of relevance to the central objectives of ICCROM’s role within this project.