UM academic participates in workshop on climate change and cultural heritage

Dr Matthew Agius from the Department of Geosciences, University of Malta, attended the SD-WISHEES workshop held on Friday 23 January at Għajn, Rabat.

SD-WISHEES (Supporting and Developing Widening Strategies to tackle Hydroclimatic Extreme Events: Impacts and Sustainable Solutions for Cultural Heritage) is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action that aims to strengthen collaboration between national research and innovation funding organisations. The project addresses the protection of cultural heritage in Europe and beyond, particularly in the context of climate change and the increasing risks posed by hydroclimatic extreme events such as droughts and floods.

Funded under the HORIZON-WIDER-2022-ERA-01-10 call, SD-WISHEES has a budget of approximately EUR 3 million and runs for 48 months, having started on 1 January 2023. The project supports multi-annual joint activities focused on improving understanding of hydroclimatic risks and identifying effective adaptation solutions for cultural heritage.

During the workshop, Dr Agius presented his research on the project SIGMA (Seismic Imaging of Groundwater for Maltese Aquifers). SIGMA explored the use of seismic methods to image the spatial and temporal characteristics of Malta’s aquifers by analysing seismic noise generated by natural and anthropogenic sources using advanced signal processing techniques. SIGMA was funded by the Energy Water Agency.

The SD-WISHEES workshop focused on identifying key enablers and barriers for funded research projects, and discussed strategies to ensure project continuity and long-term impact beyond their formal end date. The consortium brought together 16 partners from 12 countries, including widening countries under Horizon Europe such as Malta, Portugal and Romania, associated countries including Albania, Georgia and the United Kingdom, international partners such as the African Academy of Sciences (Kenya), and EU countries with extensive experience in Framework Programmes, including Belgium, Italy and France.