GLASS-CARE · Green Light for Advanced Solutions in Stained Glass Conservation and Application of Research and Education

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Project objective

Glass-Care addresses the need to safeguard Europe’s stained-glass heritage, which is rapidly deteriorating due to pollution, climate fluctuations and the decline of traditional restoration skills. These iconic artworks, central to European cultural identity, remain insufficiently documented and increasingly vulnerable. Current conservation approaches often depend on destructive sampling and lack standardised, sustainable methods. Glass-Care goes beyond the state of the art by integrating portable spectroscopy, advanced imaging, green chemistry and digital infrastructures. The project introduces innovative technologies, photoacoustics, ptychographic microscopy and multimodal tomography, together with eco-friendly cleaning and reconstruction protocols, predictive deterioration models and a digital twin stained-glass window model. These advances will enable real-time condition assessment, long-term monitoring and environmentally responsible conservation strategies. Through an ambitious MSCA Doctoral Network, Glass-Care trains 15 doctoral candidates in an international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral environment. Fellows will combine hands-on research with thematic schools and transferable-skills development, gaining expertise in cutting-edge analytical techniques, sustainable materials and advanced data processing. They will be equipped to become future leaders in heritage science and conservation. Glass-Care’s impact is far-reaching: it will deliver 15 end-user protocols, 4 demonstrator set-ups, 2 reference databases and 3 digital infrastructures to ensure uptake by museums, conservators and educators. By aligning technological innovation with sustainability and education, the project strengthens Europe’s leadership in cultural-heritage preservation, supports the Green Deal and multiple SDGs. Its outcomes will enhance Europe’s capacity to protect stained-glass windows and ensure that conservation practice evolves with environmental pressures and societal needs.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL · Bruxelles / BrusselCoordinatorBelgium
• AKADEMIA SZTUK PIEKNYCH IM. EUGENIUSZA GEPPERTA WE WROCLAWIU · WrocawCity levelPoland
• ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA · BolognaItaly
• AVANTES BV · ApeldoornNetherlands
• CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
• IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS · IRAKLEIOGreece
• J.M.Bonet vitralls S.L. · L'Hospitalet de LlobregatCity levelSpain
• Joost CAEN BV · SchotenCity levelBelgium
• NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU · TrondheimNorway
• PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS · RETHIMNOGreece
• POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKA · WarszawaPoland
• Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum · ZurichSwitzerland
• Spektralion AS · GjøvikCity levelNorway
• UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA · LisboaPortugal
• UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA · BARCELONASpain
• UNIVERSITE GUSTAVE EIFFEL · MARNE-LA-VALLEEFrance
• UNIVERSITE PARIS XII VAL DE MARNE · CreteilFrance
• UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN · AntwerpenBelgium

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101311557