UNESCO, Arius Technology launch digital preservation partnership

UNESCO and Arius Technology have signed a cooperation agreement to create ultra-high-resolution digital replicas of key cultural assets and archival materials, starting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in late 2026. The effort is designed to protect fragile heritage, improve access, and use open standards so UNESCO can retain long-term control over the files.

Why it matters: - UNESCO is moving to digitally preserve fragile heritage items that are difficult to store, display, or study in person. - The partnership could make rare artworks, archives, and historic documents easier to access while reducing handling risks. - The project is also meant to keep UNESCO in control of the digital files through open standards rather than proprietary systems.

What happened: - UNESCO and Arius Technology Europa Italia Srl signed a Cooperation Agreement on Oct. 2 in Paris. - Julien Pellaux, UNESCO Director of Partnerships, and Marco Antonio Soriano, CEO of Arius Technology, signed the deal. - The agreement sets up a multi-year effort to create ultra-high-resolution digital “twins” of cultural and documentary heritage. - The first digitization phase is scheduled for the latter half of 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

The details: - The initial work will focus on fragile, oversized, and non-standard archival materials where 3D scanning adds clear value. - Items slated for digitization include selected works from the UNESCO art collection and emblematic architectural spaces inside the UNESCO Headquarters historical building. - Other targets include the original register of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. - The project also covers the UNESCO poster collection, including contributions from Sonia Delaunay. - UNESCO’s International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation Livre d'Or, several UNESCO Livres d’Or, the most recent guest book signed by Pope Léon XIV, the UNESCO Human Rights exhibition kit, and early issues of the UNESCO Courier are also included. - The resulting files will be delivered to UNESCO using open, format-agnostic standards, including the Stanford Polygon format (PLY). - UNESCO says the approach is meant to avoid dependence on proprietary software.

Between the lines: - The agreement goes beyond a one-time digitization project and creates a pathway for Arius scanning tools to support UNESCO’s “Dive into Heritage” initiative. - That future use could extend to sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and rock-art heritage sites. - UNESCO and Arius Technology also plan to jointly produce a documentary film about the digitization work and the preservation effort. - Arius Technology will provide its 2D and 3D digitization systems pro bono. - The company’s systems are designed to capture micro-reliefs, textures, and structural properties that conventional photography or scanning may miss. - A technology consortium including Kamanga.io, Awa Piql, and ABB Robotics will support the work.

What's next: - UNESCO and Arius Technology will begin the first digitization phase in the second half of 2026. - The partnership is expected to expand if the “Dive into Heritage” integration moves forward. - The documentary film will document the conservation process and the institutions’ heritage-preservation work. - UNESCO’s public information page is available here.

The bottom line: - The deal combines advanced scanning, open-file standards, and heritage conservation in a bid to preserve some of UNESCO’s most valuable cultural assets for future generations.