The Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana (HSLL) is pleased to announce its active involvement in the large interdisciplinary research project MATRES – Material Resilience in Times of Environmental and Social Change (2025–2030), coordinated by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana. The project the kick-off meeting hosted by the National Museum of Slovenia was held on 11 February 2026.

One of the central technological developments within MATRES is the creation of a multi-level digital twin platform for cultural heritage, which will integrate datasets, computational models, simulations, and visualisation tools into an open research environment. The development of this digital twin is led within Work Package 5 (WP5) by Dr. Hend Mahgoub together with Prof. Dr Matija Strlič.

HSLL researchers will also play a key role in Work Package 3 (WP3): Materials, where Assist. Prof. Dr Tjaša Rijavec serves as co-lead alongside Prof. Dr Miha Humar (Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana) and Assist. Prof. Dr M. Vinazza (Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana). HSLL also contributes to Work Package 4 (WP4): Bodies, co-led by Prof. Dr. Irena Kralj Cigić together with Assist. Prof. Dr Tamara Leskovar (Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) and Prof. Dr. Andrej Šmuc (Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana). Additional HSLL researchers involved in the project include Lana Nastja Anžur, Sara Semeraro, and Ibrahim Elrefaey.

MATRES brings together researchers from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering to investigate long-term interactions between societies, materials, and the environment from the beginning of the Holocene to the present. By combining interdisciplinary research with advanced digital technologies, the project aims to improve the understanding, protection, and sustainable management of cultural heritage under changing environmental and social conditions.

The project consortium includes several faculties of the University of Ljubljana — Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, and Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering — as well as national and international research institutions and heritage organisations. With a total value of €2.275 million, MATRES represents an important step in strengthening interdisciplinary heritage science research at the University of Ljubljana and enhancing the international visibility of HSLL.

For more information about the MATRES kick-off meeting, check: https://www.ff.uni-lj.si/novice/kako-preziveti-podnebne-druzbene-krize-odgovore-isce-mednarodni-interdisciplinarni-projekt