Researchers from the University of Palermo (UNIPA), an iHERITAGE Project Partner in Italy, presented the project and the Virtual and Augmented Reality products developed as part of it at the “Disseminating Science via Virtual and Augmented Reality: New Frontiers and Challenges" Exhibition held in Palermo from November 28th to December 2nd, 2022, during a session titled “Augmented and Virtual Reality for Public, Territory And the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage”

The Palermo Royal Observatory, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), the Italian Research Council's Centre for High Performance Computing and Networks (CNR-ICAR), CINECA's VisitLab, and the Euro-mediterranean Institute for Science and Technology (IEMEST) collaborated to create a Virtual Reality station for the Exhibition promoting iHERITAGE innovative products such as holograms.

On November 29th, Rossella Corrao (iHERITAGE Project Manager), Francesco Di Paola, Calogero Vinci (UNIPA researchers) and Francesco Ferla, iHERITAGE Research Agreement Partner, delivered a speech titled "The iHERITAGE project: AR/VR for the enhancement and accessibility of the Norman architecture of the UNESCO site of Palermo," in which they described the problems associated with surveying underground monuments or small objects containing pearls, gems, and precious materials. 

The exhibition provided an opportunity for discussion among research institutions, universities, schools, public and private institutions, and companies operating in the sector to assess the use of new technologies for science communication and dissemination and to promote an exchange of experiences on research, best practices, activities, ideas, and projects, such as iHERITAGE, in the fields of communication, teaching, and scientific dissemination, through virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics and educational robotics and ICT in general, also in connection with transversal themes..

The iHERITAGE team and participants of the exhibition strongly view digitization, innovation, investment in new technologies, and scientific culture as being strategic, having a significant impact on the development of the territory, and having a significant impact on our country's educational and economic systems.