Mini-symposium

Open Innovation for Digital Heritage

in the frame of the International Conference “Mathematics Days in Sofia – 2026”

This mini-symposium is dedicated to the role of open innovation in the digitization, access, and preservation of cultural heritage and focuses on the mathematical and computational methods that enable these advances. Special attention is given to three key areas:

  • 3D modeling and reconstruction of cultural objects and monuments;
  • Datafication and open data – transforming cultural heritage into machine-readable formats and enabling their sharing;
  • AI tools, methodologies, and infrastructures for the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.

The symposium welcomes presentations on novel mathematical approaches, algorithms, and software solutions that embrace the principles of open science – shared data, reproducible results, and collaborative platforms. It aims to bring together researchers working on these interdisciplinary problems and to stimulate future collaborations within the Bulgarian and international mathematical community.

Organizing Committee

  • Milena Dobreva, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics – BAS, Bulgaria and University of Strathclyde, UK

  • Krassimira Ivanova, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics – BAS, Bulgaria

Participants

  • Dora Ivanova, Buzludzha Project Foundation, Bulgaria

  • Georgios Papaioannou, Ionian University, Greece

  • Gustavo Candela, University of Alicante, Spain

  • Ivan Lambov, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgaria

  • Krassimira Ivanova, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgaria

  • Mahendra Mahey, Tallinn University; Estonian National Museum, Estonia

  • Martin Tsvetkov, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgaria and University of Strathclyde, UK

  • Milena Dobreva, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgaria and University of Strathclyde, UK

  • Nikola Tulechki, Data for Good NGO, Bulgaria

  • Ventsislav Polimenov, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

  • Vesela Statkova, Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts, Bulgaria

Program and Abstracts

The Digital Twin of the Buzludzha Monument is an interactive 3D experience that allows visitors to virtually enter the closed monument, explore its spaces, and closely examine its current condition and ongoing preservation measures.

Visitors can then “travel back in time” to discover how the monument looked in the past, listen to stories from its original creators, and explore its history through multiple perspectives and interpretations. The journey also extends into the future, where users are invited to imagine and choose what they would like Buzludzha to become.

The experience is entirely online and accessible from any computer or mobile device, without the need for registration, application downloads, or additional equipment. In this way, the digital exhibition introduces an innovative and highly accessible approach to experiencing cultural heritage.

The Digital Twin was created through a collaboration between the Buzludzha Project Foundation and Tornado Studios.

This talk explores the intersection of high-precision geomatics documentation and the open Innovation framework within the context of Digital Heritage. Drawing on two diverse case studies from Greece and Albania, i.e. the Stone Bridges of the Pavla River in Northwestern Greece and Southern Albania (2026), and the Corfu Prisons in Corfu, Greece (2024-2026), we examine the methodologies for 3D modelling and digital reconstruction of monuments that present accessibility and ethical challenges. The first case study focuses on the documentation and 3D mapping of traditional old and abandoned stone bridges, emphasising the role of digital twins in the preservation of rural infrastructure. The second case study, the Corfu Prisons, addresses dark heritage and sites of political incarceration. By employing integrated geomatics documentation, we transform these restrictive physical spaces into digital archives of Memory. The talk will demonstrate how 3D models can serve as more than just digital visual replicas. They act as machine-readable datasets (datafication) that allow for remote access, virtual tourism, educational activities and scholarly analysis. They align with the principles of open science by enabling reproducible results and contributing towards collaborative platforms for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs), ensuring that hidden or difficult history remains accessible to the global community.

GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) organisations host extensive digital collections that have been made publicly available for decades. In recent years, new communities have emerged to support the publication, enrichment, and reuse of these collections across the GLAM sector. At the same time, advances in technology have enabled digital collections to be leveraged as rich and interconnected data sources. In this context, Wikidata has emerged as a key collaborative platform for enhancing and linking the digital assets provided by GLAM institutions. This presentation will include an overview of how Wikidata is being used within the GLAM sector, drawing on insights from multiple publications and presentations delivered at Wikimedia and GLAM events. Looking ahead, the talk will outline emerging research directions and discuss how Wikidata will continue to play a central role in GLAM.

This presentation introduces a novel decentralized model that combines Blockchain and Solid technologies to enable sovereign data management within the Cultural Heritage domain. The proposed framework addresses growing challenges related to data ownership, access control, interoperability, transparency, and collaborative governance in digital research ecosystems.

The model leverages Blockchain technology to provide immutable auditability, traceability, decentralized trust, and transparent governance mechanisms, while the Solid paradigm enables fine-grained data sovereignty through personal and institutional data pods, controlled access permissions, and interoperable data exchange. By integrating these technologies, the framework empowers researchers, cultural institutions, archives, museums, and other stakeholders to retain control over their data while simultaneously enabling secure collaboration and controlled sharing across distributed environments.

The presentation will describe the architecture of the proposed model, including its core components, stakeholder roles, governance structure, and operational processes. Particular attention will be given to mechanisms for identity management, authorization, provenance tracking, and potential approaches to data monetization and value exchange.

In addition, the presentation will demonstrate several practical use cases in the area of Cultural Heritage, including collaborative archival research, decentralized management of digitized cultural assets, rights and provenance tracking, and cross-institutional data sharing. The proposed approach aims to contribute to the development of equitable, transparent, and sustainable digital ecosystems that align with the principles of Open Science and data sovereignty.

This work highlights the potential of decentralized technologies to transform the management and governance of Cultural Heritage data by fostering trust, interoperability, stakeholder autonomy, and long-term sustainability.

GLAM Labs — innovation and experimentation departments in galleries, libraries, archives and museums — provide physical and virtual spaces for experimentation with digital cultural heritage collections. They enable researchers, educators, artists, entrepreneurs and communities to explore, reuse, remix and reinterpret digitised and born-digital cultural heritage resources.
This talk will examine how GLAM Labs and experimental mindsets can support digital transformation in cultural heritage organisations. The talk will reflect on the establishment and development of British Library Labs, one of the earliest and most influential GLAM Labs internationally. The presentation will also discuss lessons from the international GLAM Labs community, including insights from the GLAM Labs Futures event in June 2026, which explores past, current and emerging practices in experimentation with digital cultural heritage. It will further connect these developments with current research and projects in Estonia, including work on digital cultural heritage as a societal resource, research and cultural data infrastructures, and responsible digitalisation for the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.
The talk will conclude by considering what these experiences can offer to the FOCUS ERA Chair project in Bulgaria, particularly in relation to capacity building, open research, and meaningful reuse of digital cultural heritage.

link to abstract

The rapid transformation of digitised cultural heritage collections into data-intensive, computationally accessible resources is reshaping research, access, and engagement across the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) sector. This talk presents the research agenda of FOCUS, an ERA Chair initiative that aims to advance innovation in digital cultural heritage through open science and data-driven methods.

FOCUS developed its research agenda around key challenges at the intersection of technology, policy, and practice, including the datafication of cultural heritage collections, the integration of 3D and multimodal data, the adoption of artificial intelligence in GLAM contexts, and the development of interoperable and trustworthy knowledge infrastructures. At the same time, it explores critical issues related to legal frameworks, reuse, and long-term preservation in increasingly complex digital ecosystems.

The talk will outline how FOCUS addresses challenges in Bulgarian digital cultural heritage. The talk will also discuss how FOCUS positions itself within the evolving European research landscape, including links to initiatives such as EOSC, Europeana, and the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. It will also highlight opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, capacity building, and new research pathways that support more inclusive, resilient, and innovation-driven heritage practices. By articulating a forward-looking agenda, FOCUS aims to contribute to a more connected and impactful digital heritage ecosystem in Bulgaria.

link to abstract

The growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Cultural Heritage creates significant opportunities for research, preservation, and public engagement, but access to cultural datasets is often restricted due to copyright, ethical, or institutional limitations. This presentation discusses an alternative approach based on sharing derivative knowledge instead of exposing original protected data.

The talk introduces a platform-oriented environment for providing access to Machine Learning and Deep Learning services through distributable models, extracted features, annotations, and analytical tools. The proposed approach enables cultural institutions to participate in collaborative AI ecosystems while preserving control over sensitive collections. Particular attention is given to accessibility for non-specialist users, allowing researchers, archivists, museum experts, and educators to benefit from AI technologies through user-friendly interfaces and reusable services.

The presentation positions derivative data and distributable AI models as a practical mechanism for open innovation in Cultural Heritage and as a bridge between restricted archives and accessible digital knowledge.

This is a joint work with Viktor Krastev, Denis Marinov and Yasen Andreev from Utilink Ltd, Bulgaria.

The talk examines theatre space as a complex cultural object in which multiple forms of cultural heritage intersect: architectural, technical, documentary, museum-based, and intangible. A theatre building is at once a historical and cultural asset, a functioning stage infrastructure, and a site of living artistic practices, which makes it a particularly suitable case for exploring contemporary approaches to digital cultural heritage.

The theatre space as a multilayered heritage resource in which spatial, technical, documentary, and performative dimensions coexist and interact is discussed. In this context, the concept of the digital twin is considered as a possible framework for the representation and interpretation of complex cultural objects, capable of supporting documentation, research, access, and future reuse.

The proposed approach is viewed as part of broader efforts toward the development of integrated research resources in the context of digital cultural heritage and the principles of Open Science.

The Event is Supported by: