The PRIN 2022 MEDUSA final workshop will showcase recent scientific advances in the preservation and conservation of outdoor bronze artworks exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The event will focus particularly on methodologies and non-destructive analytical protocols for characterizing and monitoring the performance of protective treatments on corroded bronze surfaces, providing decision-makers with tools for sustainable preventive and planned conservation strategies.

The morning session will present and discuss the results of the PRIN2022KKKLX7 project: Marine outdoor bronze surfaces: a methodological approach (MEDUSA), funded by the EU’s NextGenerationEU program and the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR). The MEDUSA project focused on the urgent need to overcome current limits in scientific research related to the technological transfer of products and treatments for protecting bronzes in marine and coastal environments, supporting conservation professionals and encouraging preventive and planned conservation over time. The study of the complex systems formed by bronze alloys, patinas, and protective coatings in different marine environments aims to identify key parameters and their variability that influence the performance and durability of protective treatments.

Demian Špaleta, PhD student at the Heritage Science Lab Ljubljana will join Dr. Emilio Catelli from the Microchemistry and Microscopy Art Diagnostic Laboratory (M2ADL), as an invited speaker, presenting innovative multivariate data analysis protocols for large spectroscopic and electrochemical impedance datasets.

The afternoon session will focus on exchanging experiences among professionals, highlighting scientific methods, conservation practices, and the development of innovative materials and analytical techniques for the preservation of outdoor bronze heritage.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, February 19, 2026, from 10:00 to 17:00 Central European Time (CET). It will be held in person at the Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician” at University of Bologna (Plesso Navile, via Gobetti 85, Bologna) for MEDUSA project partners, with online participation via Microsoft Teams for invited speakers and registered participants.

For more information and registration, check: https://eventi.unibo.it/workshop-prin-2022-medusa