Cambridge Heritage Science Hub (CHERISH): Infrastructure for Research in Material Culture and Collections
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Vice-Chancellor's Office
Abstract
The Cambridge Heritage Science Hub (CHERISH) fosters an expansive and multivocal approach to heritage. From a 'pop up' Museum uncovering the making and meaning of ancient Egyptian collections for culturally underserved communities, to a research-based exhibition dispelling myths about medieval manuscripts, our approach is robust in its scientific foundations and humanistic in its engagement with artefacts, people and their multifaceted cultural and natural contexts.
The technological and scientific study of heritage collections inherently integrates STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths). This trans-disciplinary approach inspires us to think differently about global societal challenges such as confronting our colonial legacies, promoting equality and diversity and resolving conflict. Through heritage science, we not only create new ways to preserve and investigate our heritage; we also translate research into insights that benefit public education, enjoyment and wellbeing. We are committed to supporting key national challenges in our neighbouring communities, while also shaping and delivering on global research agendas.
Built on bottom-up synergic collaborations, this proposal seeks support to develop CHERISH as a distributed research infrastructure. The project is led by four University of Cambridge institutions: the Fitzwilliam Museum with its paintings conservation department, the Hamilton Kerr Institute; the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research; the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; and Cambridge University Library. They are at the intersection of a broader network of departments undertaking heritage science research on the University's Designated collections that number over 15 million items and uniquely bridge archaeology, anthropology, art, manuscript and book history, history of science and natural history.
There is an urgent need to consolidate, strengthen and sustain our research, which has gained significant momentum in recent years through investment in staffing and collections, but has now outgrown its supporting infrastructure. Our sector-leading experts are actively integrating archaeological science, heritage science and other strands of collections-based research. We make a significant contribution to the delivery of the Strategic Framework for Heritage Science in the UK, through national and international collaborations and our active membership of the National Heritage Science Forum and the Society for Archaeological Sciences.
Our proposed investment in CHERISH, already a major research facility, will enable us - and our collaborators and research visitors - to set standards for the sector and deliver more numerous, innovative and impactful research, training and engagement projects. Accelerated digitisation programmes will make the University's extensive collections globally accessible to an unprecedented extent. The availability of a complete suite of fully portable equipment will enable comprehensive non-invasive characterisation of heritage collections in Cambridge and beyond.
Our approach is underpinned by the principles of integration and accessibility. Through refurbishing spaces and upgrading our equipment, we will streamline technical workflows; unlock capacity for income generation; and inspire holistic arts- and humanities-led approaches to heritage research. We will also meet proven demand from internal and external researchers to examine our collections, use our facilities and upskill through top-quality training. Building on existing inclusion partnerships, we will ensure our findings are widely shared through co-created displays, exhibitions and public programming for the benefit of our local and global audiences.
The technological and scientific study of heritage collections inherently integrates STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths). This trans-disciplinary approach inspires us to think differently about global societal challenges such as confronting our colonial legacies, promoting equality and diversity and resolving conflict. Through heritage science, we not only create new ways to preserve and investigate our heritage; we also translate research into insights that benefit public education, enjoyment and wellbeing. We are committed to supporting key national challenges in our neighbouring communities, while also shaping and delivering on global research agendas.
Built on bottom-up synergic collaborations, this proposal seeks support to develop CHERISH as a distributed research infrastructure. The project is led by four University of Cambridge institutions: the Fitzwilliam Museum with its paintings conservation department, the Hamilton Kerr Institute; the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research; the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; and Cambridge University Library. They are at the intersection of a broader network of departments undertaking heritage science research on the University's Designated collections that number over 15 million items and uniquely bridge archaeology, anthropology, art, manuscript and book history, history of science and natural history.
There is an urgent need to consolidate, strengthen and sustain our research, which has gained significant momentum in recent years through investment in staffing and collections, but has now outgrown its supporting infrastructure. Our sector-leading experts are actively integrating archaeological science, heritage science and other strands of collections-based research. We make a significant contribution to the delivery of the Strategic Framework for Heritage Science in the UK, through national and international collaborations and our active membership of the National Heritage Science Forum and the Society for Archaeological Sciences.
Our proposed investment in CHERISH, already a major research facility, will enable us - and our collaborators and research visitors - to set standards for the sector and deliver more numerous, innovative and impactful research, training and engagement projects. Accelerated digitisation programmes will make the University's extensive collections globally accessible to an unprecedented extent. The availability of a complete suite of fully portable equipment will enable comprehensive non-invasive characterisation of heritage collections in Cambridge and beyond.
Our approach is underpinned by the principles of integration and accessibility. Through refurbishing spaces and upgrading our equipment, we will streamline technical workflows; unlock capacity for income generation; and inspire holistic arts- and humanities-led approaches to heritage research. We will also meet proven demand from internal and external researchers to examine our collections, use our facilities and upskill through top-quality training. Building on existing inclusion partnerships, we will ensure our findings are widely shared through co-created displays, exhibitions and public programming for the benefit of our local and global audiences.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Collaboration, Lead Research Organisation)
- Museum of London (Collaboration)
- Colchester + Ipswich Museums (Collaboration)
- Birmingham City University (Collaboration)
- Dittrick Medical History Museum (Collaboration)
- West Dean College of Arts and Conservation (Collaboration)
- THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES (Collaboration)
- Queen Mary University of London (Collaboration)
- Chemnitz University of Technology (Collaboration)
- University of Oxford (Collaboration)
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Collaboration)
- National Library of Wales (Collaboration)
- NATIONAL TRUST (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA (Collaboration)
- University of Hamburg (Collaboration)
Publications
Amir S
(2023)
The Saka 'Animal Style' in Context: Material, Technology, Form and Use
in Arts
Ballantyne, R.
(2024)
Must Farm pile-dwelling settlement. Volume 2: Specialist Reports
Beresford-Jones D
(2022)
Insights into changing coastlines, environments and marine hunter-gatherer lifestyles on the Pacific coast of South America from the La Yerba II shell midden, Río Ica estuary, Peru
in Quaternary Science Reviews
Bossema F
(2023)
Inside out: Fusing 3D imaging modalities for the internal and external investigation of multi-material museum objects
in Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
Bossema FG
(2024)
Enabling 3D CT-scanning of cultural heritage objects using only in-house 2D X-ray equipment in museums.
in Nature communications
Cordivari BW
(2022)
Smelting copper in decorated pottery: communities of practice in the Niari Basin, Republic of the Congo, fifteenth-seventeenth centuries CE.
in Archaeological and anthropological sciences
Crippa M
(2020)
New evidence for the intentional use of calomel as a white pigment
in Journal of Raman Spectroscopy
Daly, Nathan And Erma Hermens
(2023)
Time, Death and Vanity
Daraojimba K
(2022)
Expanding Space and Time at Igbo-Ukwu: Insights from Recent Fieldwork
in African Archaeological Review
| Title | 3D model of Charles Darwin's auxonometer |
| Description | A 3D model of Charles Darwin's auxonometer, held in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge, and created by Cambridge University Library's Digital Content Unit using equipment and software purchase by the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub grant. This was created as parted of the 'Dimensions of Darwin' project (see other funding), funded by a Cambridge Digital Humanities Digital Resources award. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | Increased public engagement with Charles Darwin's auxonometer; ability to embed in online teaching. |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/auxanometer-project-files-e93091595deb409cabfa8b201256f45d |
| Title | 3D model of Charles Darwin's microscope |
| Description | 3D model of a microscope previously owned by Charles Darwin held in the Whipple Museum for the History of Science, University of Cambridge. It was created by staff from Cambridge University Library's Digital Content Unit, using equipment and software purchased by the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub. The 3D model was an output of the 'Dimensions of Darwin' project, funded by a Cambridge Digital Humanities Digital Resources Award. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | Increased public access to manuscript owned by Charles Darwin; ability to use model in online teaching. |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/microscope-088cb14719a64c618c9361a3565fdbdf |
| Title | 3D model of John Constable's windmill |
| Description | 3D model of John Constable's windmill |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | New methodology for imaging, new partnership and broader engagement with cultural heritage collections |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/old-windmill-east-bergholt-part-2-a237be3611274746aede4cc8e0eff0cc |
| Title | 3D model of typographic punches of John Baskerville |
| Description | 3D model of a box of the largest sizes of typographic punches (sizes 48 and 60) produced in the eighteenth-century for John Baskerville, University Printer at Cambridge. The punches are shown in the oak box in which they were presented to the University of Cambridge in the 1950s. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | 140 views on Sketchfab to date without any promotion |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/typographic-punches-of-john-baskerville-705361663cb040e58ab34c407308... |
| Title | 3D modelling of Baskerville punches |
| Description | Video showing process of creating 3D model of a Baskerville punch |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | 715 views on Instagram |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAIi3efokox/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |
| Title | 3D models of Chinese oracle bones |
| Description | 3D models of Chinese oracle bones made using CHERISH equipment |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Widening access to collection |
| URL | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-CUL-00001-00155/1 |
| Title | 3D models of pre-Hispanic artefacts in Colombian collections |
| Description | Employing Cherish 3D scanners and as part of the ERC-funded Reverseaction project, we have produced accurate 3D models of 100+ artefacts from various museums and institutions in Colombia. These are being used for geometric morphometric analyses as well as for technological investigation and public engagement. They will be released to the public via sketchfab as soon as the relevan permits have been obtained (in progress in 2024) |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | These models are already allowing direct comparisons of the shape of artefacts in different collections, prompting research about skill, standardisation and craft production in pre-Hispanic societies. Once released to the public, they will substantially widen international access to, and visibility of, these collections. |
| Title | 3D models relating to the Spitting Image Archive |
| Description | 3D models of puppets of Mikhail Gorbachev, James Gillray, Margaret Thatcher, Roger Law, Princess Diana and the Queen Mother used in the TV series 'Spitting Image' |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engaging cultural heritage collections with wider audience |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/margaret-thatcher-spitting-image-30bf653a6eb849889abbb1f1d95444f3 |
| Title | Cambridge University Library Research Institute |
| Description | A short film to celebrate the launch of the Cambridge University Library Research Institute in May 2023 |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Broader engagement with Cambridge University Library collections; new partnerships |
| URL | https://youtu.be/8szOM1oWQDA |
| Title | Death mask of John Constable |
| Description | Death mask of John Constable |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | New methodology for 3D modelling, engagement with Colchester and Ipswich Museums and opening up of collection to wider audience |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/death-mask-of-john-constable-1776-1837-6deb086ca1bc41d7b1e30bcb2707a... |
| Title | Dimensions of Darwin film |
| Description | Film showing use of new imaging equipment to provide new insights into objects owned by Charles Darwin |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Increased understanding of applicability of different imaging techniques to objects in University collections owned by Charles Darwin |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfd1QrDGQ7A |
| Title | John Constable: Horse |
| Description | A 3D model of John Constable's horse |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | New methodology for 3D modelling, engagement with Colchester and Ipswich Museums and opening up of collection to wider audience |
| URL | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/the-old-horse-or-gainsboroughs-horse-77fd1b333de2446db0d3f1e120fb24b... |
| Title | MSI Disco |
| Description | A short film showing Cambridge University Library's new MegaVision multispectral imaging system being used to capture waterwarks. This equipment was purchased for the Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library using money from the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub award. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | Introduction to multispectral imaging that is accessible to non-specialists, including the general public. |
| URL | https://www.dropbox.com/s/k7eudbdti6uz1oc/MSI-watermark-disco.mp4?dl=0 |
| Title | Medieval medical recipes |
| Description | Digitisation of 186 medieval manuscripts containing medical recipes |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | Public accessibility of over 8000 unpublished medieval medical recipes, digitised using CapCo equipment. |
| URL | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/medievalmedicalrecipes |
| Title | Photography of Baskerville punches |
| Description | Close-up photography of Baskerville punches using equipment purchased with CapCO funding |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | 1866 views on Instagram to date |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDHn2fcpB8t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |
| Title | Spitting Image: Impact on Black Britiain |
| Description | A short film showcasing Cambridge University Library's Spitting Image Collection |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engagement of new audiences with cultural heritage collections |
| URL | https://youtu.be/rDcZ2OfGWYE |
| Title | Spitting Image: Lampooning the royals |
| Description | A short film showcasing the Spitting Image Collection at Cambridge University Library |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engaging new audiences with collection |
| URL | https://youtu.be/QCpHPmRBQYM |
| Title | Spitting Image: Making the Puppets |
| Description | A short film showcasing the Spitting Image collection at Cambridge University Library |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engaging new audience with cultural heritage collections |
| URL | https://youtu.be/8GHLvC3O0OQ |
| Title | Spitting Image: Political satire |
| Description | A short film showcasing Cambridge University Library's Spitting Image Collection |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engagement of new audiences with Spitting Image collection |
| URL | https://youtu.be/Ol3rBFgI_i8 |
| Title | Spitting Image: a History |
| Description | A short film showcasing the Spitting Image collection at Cambridge University Library |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Engagement of new audiences with collection |
| URL | https://youtu.be/QCpHPmRBQYM |
| Title | Youtube film |
| Description | Short film "Using heritage science to investigate the Astronomicum Caesareum" produced as part of a display at the Fitzwilliam Museum, The Extraordinary Universe of Peter Apian |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | 118 views of the film have been captured; integrating the heritage science narrative within the display and also on the Fitzwilliam's Youtube channel demonstrates the importance of materiality-focused research. Film makes heritage science analysis accessible to the general public. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLgQSwQtM1I |
| Description | This award enabled the refurbishment of spaces across the University of Cambridge and the purchase of major items of equipment (including CT, SEM-EDS, RTI, MSI, scanning macro-XRF), as well as smaller items of equipment, including cameras and conventional microscopes. This consolidation and enhancement of our laboratory spaces and tools for the delivery of heritage science research has made it possible to improve workflows for the analysis of collections and training of students. More specifically: Further funding was received in January 2023: £441K from the University of Cambridge's allocation of Research England Research Capital Investment Funding (RCIF) was awarded to the CHERISH consortium, allowing us to augment the original CapCo investment. Extension of other funded projects: In 2022/3, equipment was used to enhance and extend other UKRI-funded projects, including an AHRC award, focused on The Pigments of British Illuminators, on which the Fitzwilliam was a partner, which resulted in a display at the Fitzwilliam. The project built on the Fitzwilliam's pioneering discovery paradigm used prior to Pigments, which looked at a range of materials from different places, uncovering hidden stories around how illuminators worked. Resulting in a co-authored peer-reviewed book (submitted), articles and a display at the Fitzwilliam, Pigments systematically charts the changing use of pigments and materials over ten centuries (600-1600), deploying new analytical techniques (FORS, Raman Spectroscopy, XRF, hyperspectral imaging) on over 300 British manuscripts held in various repositories, including the Fitzwilliam's collection. This project demonstrates how leveraging heritage science methodologies can transform research. This equipment has also added further value to the AHRC project 'Digital approaches to the Capture and Analysis of Watermarks' (also known as the 'Newton Watermarks Project') and the Wellcome-funded 'Curious Cures: enhancing the discoverability of medieval medical recipes' project at Cambridge University Library. MSI has enabled the research team to uncover faded and erased passages of texts, and to provide high-quality captures of watermarks, in turn providing insights into the manufacture and circulation of paper, and the spread of texts. Collaborations: The CHERISH team have also collaborated with researchers from other institutions, to undertake heritage science analysis. For instance, through collaboration with a researcher from Queen Mary University of London and undertaking XRF scanning of the Great Bible, new findings were discovered, which served as the pilot for an AHRC application on signs of use in pre-modern books (under review). The portability of some of the items of equipment purchased has enabled our researchers to travel to several locations, including the National Library of Scotland, British Library and New College Oxford, to examine their copies of Peter Apian's Astronomicum Caesareum (1541) for comparison with the Fitzwilliam one, a jewel of the museum's collections. This work has enabled the extrapolation of patterns across the surviving corpus, conveyed to the public through the display The Extraordinary Universe of Peter Apian (Fitzwilliam, March-June 2022). Mobile equipment was also taken to Germany to examine the central panel of a now fragmented Simone Martini altarpiece, of which three panels are held at the Fitzwilliam; and to the British Library and Cambridge college libraries to investigate manuscripts for Pigments. Equipment was also used in the National Museum, Stockholm, to perform analytical research on their collection of portrait miniatures in connection with the research project 'Unlocking the English Portrait Miniature', at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Hamilton Kerr Institute. At Cambridge University Library, the equipment has been used for a pilot project on the punches used to create the Baskerville font, jointly with Birmingham City University. As a result of this, a further AHRC standard research grant application has been submitted, which is currently being assessed. In addition, it has been used in the context of the 'Werck der Buecher; project, funded under the AHRC-DFG bilateral scheme, on which CUL is a partner, working with the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, and the University of Manchester. This project will lead to new insights into the reprographic technologies for incunabula (books printed in Europe before 1501). Recruitment: This funding has provided greatly enhanced visibility of heritage and archaeological science work, which has allowed further recruitment to new posts. For instance, at the Fitzwilliam two early career postdoctoral researchers have been hired since the CapCo investment. At Cambridge University Library, it was also an important factor in the remodelling of the previous post of Head of Conservation to Head of Conservation and Heritage. In addition, the equipment purchased with the award forms a key part of the supporting infrastructure for the new Cambridge University Library Research Institute, due to be launched in May 2023. This in turn has led to the recruitment of two new members of staff: a Research Institute Coordinator and a Research Development Adviser. The Research Development Adviser will ensure that this equipment continues to be integrated into future research funding applications, while the Research Institute Coordinator will ensure results are showcased to audiences beyond academia at the post-award stage. Digitisation: significant digitisation of collections has been enabled through this award, including 7,500 photographs relating to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore being digitally restituted to the region through a collaborative project with the National library of Singapore; Axel Poignant's photographs relating to Papua New Guinea have been shared through community Facebook groups with remote communities and schools; and the studio photography of objects from Rapa Nui (c. 120 images) and Marquesas Islands (c. 300 images) shared with 'Indigenities', an international resaerch project working with indigenous researchers and artists. Exhibitions: Findings from research undertaken using these items of equipment will be displayed as part of major exhibitions in Cambridge in the coming years. For instance, work on the Fitzwilliam's Simone Martini, Macro-XRF revealed much more than the X-ray. Work on portraits by Meynnart Wewyck is also expected to develop into a Fitzwilliam display. New findings: The CapCo-funded macro-XRF provided detail on overpainting on a portrait of Margaret Beaufort by Meynnart Wewyck (Collection St John's College, University of Cambridge), not visible using X-ray. These findings are informing an ambitious conservation treatment to remove the overpainting, to be revealed to the public with the reopening of the NPG's Tudor galleries. This work began as a commercial conservation project but has now supported moving the portrait from a non-public location to the NPG. Teaching: the CapCo equipment has been used extensively in teaching, enabling greater engagement with collections, as well as with heritage science and archaeological science. Commercial opportunities: There are also increased commercial opportunities being fostered through the new equipment, with clients increasingly requesting use of the macro-XRF, Infrared Reflectography, X-radiography and other non-invasive analytical techniques, as part of the wider service. At Cambridge University Library, the equipment has been used to create ca. 400 spectral cubes, several 3D models and for five commercial RTI sessions. |
| Exploitation Route | In addition to academic outputs, the CHERISH team is committed to creating open resources that share heritage science results. For instance, the English Portrait Miniatures resource (to be released in the coming months) will present new data from the non-invasive analysis of multiple collections' miniatures, leveraging CHERISH's new analytical capabilities made possible by AHRC funding. Funded by the British Academy and a philanthropic donor, the scalable, open, replicable resource demonstrates our commitment to open research. The equipment was also used to generate data for various publications as well as conferences contributions. At Cambridge University Library, the funding has enabled the addition of fully digitised items to the Cambridge Digital Library, bringing the total number of digitised items to 41,526, comprising almost 850,000 images. Images have been released under creative commons licence wherever possible, to enable them to be accessed and reused by any visitor to the site. Latest analytics suggest there have been over 200,000 users of the Cambridge Digital Library and over 4 million page views. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/cherish |
| Description | The most notable, immediate impact of the grant has been the development of CHERISH as a virtual network and platform for collaboration that has enabled the nucleation of archaeological, heritage science research and technical art history research. This is resulting in enhanced opportunities for research, education and public engagement in Cambridge and beyond. This award enabled the refurbishment of spaces across the University of Cambridge and the purchase of major items of equipment (including CT, SEM-EDS, RTI, MSI, scanning macro-XRF), as well as smaller items including cameras and conventional microscopes. Funding Further funding was received in March 2023 as an uplift to the AHRC's original CapCo investment. The additional investment (£771k) from the University of Cambridge allocation of Research England Research Capital Investment Funding in January 2023 allowed purchase of new equipment, including a new laser for an existing Raman spectrometer, a Hirox 3D microscope, updating photographic equipment, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and a near infrared spectrometer. This equipment is facilitating research across, and beyond, the CHERISH partners. Extension of other funded projects. The renamed Cultural Heritage Imaging Lab is working closely with the new Cambridge University Library Research Institute, developing research collaborations and initiating projects using Capco-funded kit. We have raised our profile and welcomed numerous national and international researchers, seeding future initiatives. Equipment was used to enhance and extend other UKRI-funded projects, including an AHRC award, focused on The Pigments of British Illuminators, on which the Fitzwilliam was a partner, which resulted in a display at the Fitzwilliam. The project built on the Fitzwilliam's pioneering discovery paradigm used prior to Pigments, which looked at a range of materials from different places, uncovering hidden stories around how illuminators worked. Resulting in a co-authored peer-reviewed book (submitted), articles and a display at the Fitzwilliam, Pigments systematically charts the changing use of pigments and materials over ten centuries (600-1600), deploying new analytical techniques (FORS, Raman Spectroscopy, XRF, hyperspectral imaging) on over 300 British manuscripts held in various repositories, including the Fitzwilliam's collection. This project demonstrates how leveraging heritage science methodologies can transform research. This equipment has also added further value to the AHRC project 'Digital approaches to the Capture and Analysis of Watermarks' (also known as the 'Newton Watermarks Project') and the Wellcome-funded 'Curious Cures: enhancing the discoverability of medieval medical recipes' project at Cambridge University Library (CUL). MSI has enabled the research team to uncover faded and erased passages of texts, and to provide high-quality captures of watermarks, in turn providing insights into the manufacture and circulation of paper, and the spread of texts. In 2024/25, further funding was received from AI@Cam/Schmidt Sciences for the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub project. The project will use photographic and specialist imaging equipment purchased with CapCo money to create foundation datasets for the hub. These will be analysed with AI tools integrated into the hub. An Impact Acceleration Account application for Bhutan - knowledge sharing around heritage science techniques and their application to cultural heritage collections - aligned with but distinct from the AHRC-funded Hidden in Plain Sight project was received. The WongAvery East Asian partnership funded digitisation of and knowledge exchange relating to CUL Chinese collections. Funding was also received for the Liberation Collection Visiting Scholar programme at CUL. Collaborations. The Department of Archaeology initiated new collaborations and funded projects within the University and beyond, more visiting researcher requests have been facilitated, alongside more postdoc applications. The CHERISH team have also collaborated with researchers from other institutions, to undertake heritage science analysis. For instance, through collaboration with a researcher from Queen Mary University of London and undertaking XRF scanning of the Great Bible, new findings were discovered, which served as the pilot for a successful AHRC project on signs of use in pre-modern books (Hidden in Plain Sight). The portability of some of the items of equipment purchased has enabled our researchers to travel to several locations, including the National Library of Scotland, British Library and New College Oxford, to examine their copies of Peter Apian's Astronomicum Caesareum (1541) for comparison with the Fitzwilliam one, a jewel of the museum's collections. This work has enabled the extrapolation of patterns across the surviving corpus, conveyed to the public through the display The Extraordinary Universe of Peter Apian (Fitzwilliam, March-June 2022). Mobile equipment was also taken to Germany to examine the central panel of a now fragmented Simone Martini altarpiece, of which three panels are held at the Fitzwilliam; and to the British Library and Cambridge college libraries to investigate manuscripts for Pigments. Equipment was also used in the National Museum, Stockholm, to perform analytical research on their collection of portrait miniatures in connection with the research project 'Unlocking the English Portrait Miniature', at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Hamilton Kerr Institute. At Cambridge University Library, the equipment has been used for a pilot project on the punches used to create the Baskerville font, jointly with Birmingham City University. As a result of this, a further AHRC standard research grant was successful, "Small Performances". In addition, it has been used in the context of the 'Werck der Buecher; project, funded under the AHRC-DFG bilateral scheme, on which CUL is a partner, working with the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, and the University of Manchester. This project will lead to new insights into the reprographic technologies for incunabula (books printed in Europe before 1501). Researchers from Archaeology have extended their range of collaborations to study, among others, Mycenaean collections at the Ashmolean Museum and pre-Hispanic collections at various institutions in Colombia, in addition to a broader range of materials at the Fitzwilliam and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. A collaboration with the VICARTE research unit (a partnership between NOVA School of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universidade de LisboaVicarte) has resulted in a joint PhD studentship. Partnering with the Amsterdam Medical Centre (University of Amsterdam) is bringing innovative techniques from biomedical sciences into interface with the Museum's own CapCo-funded equipment and collection of enamels and ceramics. An emerging collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston sees its first outcome in early 2024, with the award of the inaugural Hans Brenninkmeyer Visiting Senior Fellowship to Prof Erma Ermens. This collaboration is expected to develop further through digital collaboration focused on Southern Netherlandish Art, connecting the Fitzwilliam and MFA collections. Prof. Erma Hermens is also a co-lead with Dr Chris Atkins (MD+FA Boston), and Dr Heike Stege (Doerner Institute, Munich), on a technical research project on the Dutch painter Rachel Ruysch. The team, also including the Toledo Art Museum, Ohia, is composed of curators, conservators, and scientists from these institutions, and is working on a joint Special Issue publication in ArtMatters: International Journal for Technical Art History. The CapCo-funded equipment is crucial for this research project and the analytical data have led to many new findings. Equipment purchased through CHERISH enabled a collaboration with the National Library of Singapore to digitise and share 7,500 cultural and historical important photographs relating to Southeast Asia. The photographs have been added to a portal maintained by NLS to enable local communities to access their visual heritage. In 2025, a Baskerville collaboration with Birmingham City University undertook analysis with CapCO equipment and the Digital Library viewer extended to display RTI results. The Hidden in Plain Sight AHRC-funded collaboration with Queen Mary University of London, London Museum undertook analysis of submerged binding. Further details in Hidden in Plain Sight ResearchFish submission. A collaboration with National Library of Wales contributed to exhibition, with analysis carried out with CapCo equipment Digitisation In addition to academic outputs, the CHERISH team is committed to creating open resources that share heritage science results. For instance, the English Portrait Miniatures resource presents new data from the non-invasive analysis of multiple collections' miniatures, leveraging CHERISH's new analytical capabilities made possible by AHRC funding. Funded by the British Academy and a philanthropic donor, the scalable, open, replicable resource demonstrates our commitment to open research. The equipment was also used to generate data for various publications as well as conferences contributions. At Cambridge University Library, the funding has enabled the addition of fully digitised items to the Cambridge Digital Library. Images have been released under creative commons licence wherever possible, to enable them to be accessed and reused by any visitor to the site. In 2025, a digitised dataset of watermarked paper stocks from Kings College Newton lab books for Indiana University are contributing to a larger project. Significant digitisation of collections at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has been enabled through this award, including 7,500 photographs relating to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore being digitally restituted to the region through a collaborative project with the National library of Singapore; Axel Poignant's photographs relating to Papua New Guinea have been shared through community Facebook groups with remote communities and schools; and the studio photography of objects from Rapa Nui (c. 120 images) and Marquesas Islands (c. 300 images) shared with 'Indigenities', an international research project working with indigenous researchers and artists. Other digitisation projects include completion of the Wellcome-funded Curious Cures manuscripts digitisation at CUL; WongAvery digitisation of CUL's Chinese collection, digitisation for text and data mining of CUL's Liberation Collection and at the Hamilton Kerr Institute digitisation of 32 account books as part of the Roberson & Co colourman archive. Wider engagement Through using the equipment across projects that will result in exhibitions and wider public engagement programmes in the coming years, we have been laying the groundwork for truly transformational impacts on audiences, particularly enabled by the wide and diverse audiences that already engage with the Fitzwilliam, Cambridge University Library and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's collections and research. For instance in 2025, BBC programme Fake or Fortune? Filmed the HKI science team demonstrating the MA-XRF scanning of the painting central to the programme, using CapCo funded equipment Students Students undertaking postgraduate qualifications and internships in conservation and archaeological science have benefited from enhanced learning experiences, through having access to state-of-the-art equipment. The Hamilton Kerr Institute's Diploma course in Easel Conservation started as a Masters in 2024; the CapCo equipment will be supporting the heritage science and technical art history elements of the courses, providing opportunities for students to work with state-of-the art equipment. Recruitment Recruitment of CUL's first heritage scientist, supported by AHRC-funded Hidden in Plain Sight project. Exhibitions. At the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Fault Lines exhibition, opened in December 2024, is utilising equipment accessed through CHERISH a community and Indigenous artist led exhibition has been designed around the digitising of cultural heritage objects and photographs and returning these digital files to places of origin for research and creation of new art pieces. Jan Davidsz De Heem - Pictures of Excess, is a 2025 display at the Fitzwilliam Museum of four large still lifes. The still lifes are all examined with Capco equipment. Short discussions of methodology are included in the display and showcase and explain the technical analyses to the general public the research will lead to a book publication. Commercial opportunities. As a direct result of this award, the Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library has received increased orders for multispectral imaging from organisations across the UK and further afield, and is rapidly developing an international reputation as a leader in the field.THe HKI has increased its income by providing scientific analytical services to smaller institutions and public collections without any technical facilities using the CapCo-funded equipment. This builds on increased demand from existing clients for heritage science analysis. The award from the University of Surplus Improvement Fund (SIF) to create a commercial conservation service at the Fitzwilliam/HKI is creating opportunities to commercialise the CapCo-funded equipment in the coming years. This builds on increased demand from existing clients for heritage science analysis. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Fitch Laboratory Subcommittee, British School at Athens |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Laboratory strategies and protocols are being updated, partly inspired by the CHERISH experience. |
| Description | Master of Conservation of Easel Paintings |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | Impact on students will arise from 2024 onwards. |
| Description | Scientific Advisory Board, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austria |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Partly inspired by the CHERISH model, the laboratories are focusing on developing integrated approaches to archaeology and heritage collections, seeking to develop a wide range of users and beneficiaries at the intersection between universities, museums and the broader public |
| Description | Scientific Advisory Board, Institute for Heritage Sciences, CSIC, Spain |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Partly inspired by the CHERISH model, the laboratories are focusing on developing integrated approaches to archaeology and heritage collections, seeking to develop a wide range of users and beneficiaries at the intersection between universities, museums and the broader public |
| Description | "Small performances": investigating the typographic punches of John Baskerville (1707-75) through heritage science and practice-based research |
| Amount | £840,230 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X011747/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Description | Cambridge Humanities Research Grant Scheme - Global Connections: The Alhambra at the Fitzwilliam Museum |
| Amount | £17,490 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2022 |
| End | 09/2022 |
| Description | Curious Cures: Enhancing the Discoverability of Medieval Medical Recipes (Research Resources in the Humanities and Social Sciences award) |
| Amount | £500,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 221346/Z/20/Z |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2022 |
| End | 05/2024 |
| Description | Digital approaches to the capture and analysis of watermarks using the manuscripts of Isaac Newton as a test case |
| Amount | £202,667 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/V009486/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2021 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | Dimensions of Darwin |
| Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Cambridge Digital Humanities Digital Resources Award |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2021 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Fighting theft, helping conservation: heritage science in Bhutan |
| Amount | £19,700 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Hidden in plain sight: historical and scientific analysis of premodern sacred books |
| Amount | £1,000,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X011224/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Description | Leonora Carrington's Tempera Paintings, 1945- 47 |
| Amount | £18,757 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2024 |
| End | 07/2024 |
| Description | The Marlay Group Fund - Enhanced analytical skills for conservation and scientific research staff |
| Amount | £5,700 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2021 |
| End | 06/2022 |
| Description | The Reynolds Digital Research Resource; access to rich heritage science data in its multidisciplinary context and a template for future initiatives |
| Amount | £5,600 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2027 |
| Description | Walking with Constable |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Werck der bücher: Transitions, experimentation, and collaboration in reprographic technologies, 1440-1470 |
| Amount | £213,395 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/W010615/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Title | Chinese Works at Cambridge University Library |
| Description | A showcase of the temporal range, diversity of media and variety of subject-matter contained within the Chinese collections at Cambridge University Library, from the oracle bones (the oldest documents in the Library), to unique manuscripts and printed books, historical documents and epigraphical rubbings. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Public accessibility of unique collections for study, education, enjoyment and re-use. |
| URL | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/chinese/1 |
| Title | Medieval medical recipes |
| Description | A digitised corpus of 8000 medieval manuscripts drawn from over 180 manuscripts, with transcriptions of selected recipes. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Public availability of a corpus of 8000 previously-unpublished medieval medical receipes. |
| URL | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/medievalmedicalrecipes |
| Title | Sally T. WongAvery Digital Collection of Chinese Materials |
| Description | This digitisation project has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Avery-Tsui Foundation in honour of Sally T. WongAvery, combined with initial investment from the AHRC into equipment via the CapCo award. A selection of materials from Cambridge University Library has been carefully curated to represent pre-modern and late imperial history of China and highlight significant moments and developments in Chinese culture and intellectual life. The collection includes oracle bones, the earliest known form of Chinese writing, offering a window into ancient Chinese divination practices and valuable insights into language development. The rare books and manuscripts encompass some important literary, artistic, and historical texts from different periods. We have also chosen to digitise a selection of single-sheet prints and documents, maps as well as an array of hanging scrolls and examples of Chinese calligraphy. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | An array of items from Cambridge University Library's Chinese collections are now accessible for the first time to both scholars and the public worldwide. This will have a profound impact on research in fields such as history, archaeology, palaeography, linguistics, art, religion and geography, while simultaneously expanding opportunities for scholarship, education, and engagement with collections. |
| URL | https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/wongavery/1 |
| Description | Analysis of Bronze Age Hoards at Halesworth and District Museum, UK |
| Organisation | Dittrick Medical History Museum |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have brought CHERISH equipment for the analysis and sampling of Bronze Age hoards at the Museum, which will form the basis of an MPhil student dissertation while also engaging with collaborators at UCL |
| Collaborator Contribution | Museum curator, chair and other staff provided contextual information for the discovery, as well as access and facilities |
| Impact | Forthcoming MPhil dissertation and publication |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration on specialist imaging of Tennyson manuscripts with Michael Sullivan, University of Oxford |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library (part of the University of Cambridge CHERISH consortium) collaborated with Dr Michael Sullivan, English Faculty, University of Oxford, to undertake multispectral imaging of autograph manuscripts of Alfred Tennyson, held by Trinity College Cambridge, using new equipment purchased with this grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Michael Sullivan is a Research Fellow at Christ Church, Oxford, and General Editor of The Complete Works of Alfred Tennyson for Oxford University Press. He provided expertise on the content of the manuscripts, poetics and verse cultures at Tennyson's time, and the selection of pages for specialist imaging. |
| Impact | Specialist imaging of Tennyson manuscripts held at Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration on watermark imaging with Orietta Da Rold, University of Cambridge |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library (part of the University of Cambridge CHERISH consortium) provided expertise on the use of multispectral imaging equipment to capture watermarks in medieval manuscripts. A state-of-the art MegaVision multispectral imaging system was purchased with the funds from this grant, enabling this partnership to take place. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise on medieval manuscripts and the manufacture of paper in medieval England. |
| Impact | Produced content for the Sandars Lectures in Bibliography 2021, and an associated video. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Birmingham City University to analyse the Baskerville punches |
| Organisation | Birmingham City University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Analysis and imaging of Cambridge University Library's unique collection of punches relating to the Baskerville typeface using equipment funded by the original CapCo award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Further analysis of the Baskerville typeface and expertise from a metal-working perspective (School of Jewellery). |
| Impact | 3D models of punches available on Sketchfab. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with Colchester and Ipswich Museums on 3D modelling |
| Organisation | Colchester + Ipswich Museums |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As part of the 'Walking with Constable' project, Cambridge University Library used Cambridge Heritage Science Hub equipment to make 3D models of six artefacts relating to the painter John Constable held at Ipswich Museum (part of Colchester and Ipswich Museums) |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partner provided us with access to the collections and contextual information relating to the artefacts that were imaged. |
| Impact | Five 3D models were made available in Sketchfab. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with London Museum on exhibition |
| Organisation | Museum of London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration with London Museum (formerly the Museum of London) to showcase the results of the analysis of a unique binding found in the Thames by a mudlarker in a forthcoming exhibition. Analysis of the binding was carried our using equipment funded by the CapCo award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Showcasing the results of the analysis of a binding in a forthcoming exhibition at the London Museum. |
| Impact | Secrets of the Thames: mudlarking London's lost treasures exhibition at the London Museum (4 April 2025 to 1 March 2026) |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with Museum of London and Queen Mary University of London on submerged binding |
| Organisation | Museum of London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | A tiny binding, less than 10 cm in length, and dating from about 1500, was found by a mudlark who approached the Museum of London, Queen Mary University of London and Cambridge University Library for further advice. The text block had been washed away, but the surviving binding was brought to Cambridge University Library for further analysis using equipment purchased with grant and made available via the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners were able to suggest candidates for the missing text block and to provide further context to assist with the understanding the provenance of the binding. |
| Impact | Descriptive metadata on, and enhanced understanding of, this binding and its context. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Museum of London and Queen Mary University of London on submerged binding |
| Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
| Department | Queen Mary Innovation |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | A tiny binding, less than 10 cm in length, and dating from about 1500, was found by a mudlark who approached the Museum of London, Queen Mary University of London and Cambridge University Library for further advice. The text block had been washed away, but the surviving binding was brought to Cambridge University Library for further analysis using equipment purchased with grant and made available via the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners were able to suggest candidates for the missing text block and to provide further context to assist with the understanding the provenance of the binding. |
| Impact | Descriptive metadata on, and enhanced understanding of, this binding and its context. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with National Library of Wales on Great Bibles |
| Organisation | National Library of Wales |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The HiPS team, including Suzanne Paul and Flavia Fiorillo (Cambridge University Library) are providing expertise on Great Bibles held at St John's College Cambridge and the National Library of Wales from a curatorial and heritage science perspective. Analysis of the Great Bible has been carried out using equipment funded by the original CapCo grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The National Library of Wales are providing expertise on the Great Bible held in its collections, it's place / context more broadly in terms of NLW's collecting and the curation of the forthcoming exhibition. |
| Impact | Exhibition forthcoming in 2025 with associated programme of talks and workshops. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with National Trust at Wicken Fen |
| Organisation | National Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration in outreach involving archaeological science |
| Collaborator Contribution | Archaeological science input in research and public engagement |
| Impact | Discover Peatland Archaeology weekend at National Trust Wicken Fen in September 2024 |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with Sainsbury Centre (Norwich) and West Dean College of Arts & Conservation on technical analysis of 3 Leonora Carrington paintings |
| Organisation | University of East Anglia |
| Department | Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Technical analysis of Sainsbury Centre collections, in collaboration with two PhD students |
| Collaborator Contribution | Sharing of collections for technical analysis |
| Impact | Outputs TBC, but expected to include research outputs |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with Sainsbury Centre (Norwich) and West Dean College of Arts & Conservation on technical analysis of 3 Leonora Carrington paintings |
| Organisation | West Dean College of Arts and Conservation |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Technical analysis of Sainsbury Centre collections, in collaboration with two PhD students |
| Collaborator Contribution | Sharing of collections for technical analysis |
| Impact | Outputs TBC, but expected to include research outputs |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration with The National Archives (UK) on watermark imaging |
| Organisation | The National Archives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As part of the AHRC-NEH funded project 'Digital approaches to the capture and analysis of watermarks', Digital Content Unit staff at Cambridge University Library have been collaborating with The National Archives on techniques for imaging watermarks using multispectral imaging techniques. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in imaging watermarks and use of multispectral imaging kit. |
| Impact | Huw Jones and Maciej Pawlikowski from Cambridge University Library's Digital Content Unit gave an online talk for the National Library of Israel on Technical approaches to dating Newton's manuscripts using watermarks. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Technische Universitaet Chemnitz on a Digital Edition of Stefan Heym's 'Ashasver' |
| Organisation | Chemnitz University of Technology |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Using imaging equipment purchased with this award, the Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library is currently undertaking imaging for a new digital edition of Stefan Heym's novel 'Ashasver'. Cambridge University Library holds the largest collection of materials relating Stefan Heym archive. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Literary expertise on Stefan Heym and supporting technical expertise for a pilot project for a digital historical-critical complete edition of the novel. |
| Impact | As a result of this collaboration, a digital, annotated, historical-critical edition of Stefan Heym's novel "Ahasver" by Stefan Heym is underway, and is expected to be completed in 2022 or 2023 |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Knowledge exchange network on multispectral imaging |
| Organisation | University of Hamburg |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library (part of the University of Cambridge CHERISH consortium) has created a knowledge exchange network with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, to discuss technical conventions and standards relating to multispectral imaging. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Multispectral imaging specialists entre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, are contributing expertise on metadata preservation and file naming conventions. |
| Impact | Shared conventions on file naming and metadata preservation for multispectral imaging. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Knowledge exchange network on multispectral imaging |
| Organisation | University of Hamburg |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Digital Content Unit at Cambridge University Library (part of the University of Cambridge CHERISH consortium) has created a knowledge exchange network with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, to discuss technical conventions and standards relating to multispectral imaging. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Multispectral imaging specialists entre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, are contributing expertise on metadata preservation and file naming conventions. |
| Impact | Shared conventions on file naming and metadata preservation for multispectral imaging. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | MFA (Boston) |
| Organisation | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Erma Hermens will be the inaugural Hans Brenninkmeyer Visiting Senior Fellow February-April 2024, bringing long-standing expertise in technical art history to the Center. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Fellowship invites established scholars for a short-term residence at the MFA's Center for Netherlandish Art (CNA) to conduct independent research and contribute to the vibrant intellectual life of the Center through activities, such as lectures, workshops and panel discussions. The fellowship creates an opportunity to nurture outstanding research, work with MFA collections, and connect with MFA staff and members of the CNA community. |
| Impact | Fellowship is the first outcome of this activity; further collaborations around digital collaborative activities are anticipated. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Title | Cambridge Digital Collection Platform |
| Description | The Cambridge Digital Collection Platform (CDCP) is the suite of software and tools developed for the Cambridge University Digital Library |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Beyond the excellent capabilities of the platform to present beautiful high-resolution images, the ability to present in-depth scholarly research outcomes, and ease of use designed to engage the user in the collections, the platform's key strength is that it can be used as the start of many collaborative initiatives - it is much more than just a presentation end-point. |
| URL | https://community.cdcp.info/space/CDCP |
| Title | Fail-safe X-ray warning light for XRF equipment |
| Description | Bruker, the lead company worldwide for development and sales of XRF equipment used in the Cultural Heritage field, has developed a new fail-safe X-ray warning light for its ELIO portable XRF spectrometer, which now makes it fully compatible for use within the UK's H&S regulations regarding X-ray use. Such development followed a demand by - and collaboration with - our team and others in the UK, who had purchased the ELIO equipment through the CapCo award. |
| Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The development of a fail-safe X-ray warning light will much increase the safety of the portable XRF instrument ELIO, which is in widespread use in the Cultural Heritage Science field. This means increased safety for users as well as the possibility to use the equipment in more numerous and diverse situations, leading to increased number of research outputs resulting from XRF analysis. |
| Description | 'An interdisciplinary approach to the making of enamels: multimodal imaging of historical processes and materials' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at TECHNART in May 2023, sparking questions and discussions, and enhanced understanding of the capabilities of Cap-Co funded equipment |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | 'Closing remarks Vermeer Symposium', |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Closing remarks made at major symposium, focused on Vermeer, connected to the sell-out exhibition hosted by the Rijksmuseum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | 'MA-XRF scanning and its impact on conservation treatment and technical research at the Hamilton Kerr Institute and the Fitzwilliam Museum' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at M6 Jetstream European User Group meeting in April 2023. Enhanced understanding of capabilities and heritage science capabilities of this piece of Cap-Co funded equipment; knowledge exchange opportunity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | 'Vanitas Stillleven met Portet van een Jonge Schilder', |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at Leiden University/Museum De Lakenhal, reaching professional practitioners to share research, sparking questions and discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Can complex technological systems be sustained through collective action? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Marcos Martinon-Torres led an informal discussion with approx 20 colleagues at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, where he talked about how scientific analyses of archaeological artefacts can help us study collective action in the past |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | El Dorado documentary film for France 5 - to be broadcast in 2024/25 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Marcos Martinon-Torres, Agnese Benzonelli and colleagues participated in a documentary film shot in Colombia that included extensive reference to our analytical work on pre-Hispanic artefacts, and showed some of the portable Cherish instruments in action |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | El Dorado: una perspectiva indÃgena a partir de la arqueometrÃa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Marcos Martinon-Torres gave a public talk at the Centro Leon (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) where he outlined the contribution that archaeological sciences could do to disentangling the legend of El Dorado. The talk was attended by around 100 people in person, but it was also streamed, and there is a permanent link in youtube |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVFWPXjsoQk&t=6s |
| Description | Exchanging Seeds: Agnes Block and her flower drawings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at Power of Flowers Conference, Ghent University, on research using CapCo funded equipment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Gold of the Great Steppe: How We Know What We Know - online talk at the Fitzwilliam Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of ongoing scientific analyses of goldwork on display at the Gold of the Great Steppe exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum. Attended by members of the public who manifested surprise at both the relatively little-known wealth of archaeological goldwork from Kazakhstan, and the potential of scientific analyses to reveal aspects of their manufacture and use. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://museums.cam.ac.uk/events/online-gold-great-steppe-how-we-know-what-we-know |
| Description | Invited lecture ' Technical Art History, Turtles and Mesh works |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 150 delegates in Oslo (and 75 online) attended the conference Bridging the Gap - Synergies between art history and conservation conference, sparking discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynote speech on 'Art and Heritage Science in the Humanities, at the Palace Symposium, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Keynote talk at event hosted by the Mayor of Amsterdam and the King and Queen of the Netherlands, Royal Palace Amsterdam on 20 November 2023. Reached 100 attendees and profiled intersection of art and heritage science research to politicians, industry/business and third sector organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Linking the dead and the living through craft networks. Exploring the approach in Cretan cemeteries |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Around 100 international scholars attended this presentation, delivered during the Connected Pasts conference in Herklion (Crete) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://connectedpast.net/heraklion-2022/ |
| Description | Lujo si, pero no asi. Secretos y mentiras del arte prehispanico |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Marcos Martinon-Torres gave a public talk at the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU) in Bogota, attended by around 100 people but accessible via Youtube where it has been watched by around 500 (as of Feb 2024) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu13vrpnPD4 |
| Description | Luxury technologies and collective action: the Reverseaction project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Marcos Martinon-Torres delivered an invited seminar as part of the "Pitt-Rivers Archaeological Science Seminar Series" at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/events/pitt-rivers-archaeological-science-seminars |
| Description | REVERSEACTION at the site of Nueva Esperanza, Colombia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In collaboration with Corporacion Universitaria Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO), we produced three short videos for a general audience where we outline the main aims of the REVERSEACTION project and our involvement at the archaeological site of Nueva Esperanza, where we are conducting scientific analyses using CHERISH resources |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfQY8e3BTDM |
| Description | Technical approaches to dating Newton's manuscripts using watermarks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An online presentation by Maciej Pawlikowski (Head of the Digital Content Unit, Cambridge University Library), and Huw Jones (Head of the Digital Library, Cambridge University Library), for the National Library of Israel, discussing methods for capturing and analysing watermarks in manuscripts, with particular reference to dating material from the Isaac Newton corpus. The talk considered methods and equipment for the capture of watermarks using multispectral imaging. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://live-events.nli.org.il/events/technical-approaches-watermarks |
| Description | Two decades of digital photography in the library: evolution of practice and technology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A presentation exploring a unique and captivating case study comparing two sets of images of the same medieval manuscript, digitised twenty years apart. It delved into the evolution of technology and practices in the field of cultural heritage, from the early digital days to the today's technology. The reflection on transformation of imaging principles, image analysis, and technical aspects provided a new interpretation of digital heritage, historical objects, and the role of the cultural heritage photographer. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=25222 |