Documentation and conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) is crucial to preserve humankind’s history and traditions, safeguarding tangible testimonies of past human life while ensuring its accessibility to present and future generations. TECTONIC project will promote an intersectoral collaboration between academic and non-academic professionals (such as technical experts, archaeologists, conservator, geologists, engineers, computer scientists) working in different topics related to the UCHs to respond and find solutions to the complex issues still existing in the field of UCH. The overall aim is the exchange of skills and expertise, the training activities for the implementation, improvement and assessment of innovative materials, techniques, tools and methodologies to develop solutions and marketable products for the conservation, restoration and management of the UCH (objects, artefacts, structures, remains etc.). To achieve its overall aim, TECTONIC project will undertake innovation and development activities driven by the following objectives: Study, documentation and 3D reconstruction of the selected pilot sites; Decision support tool for UCH risk assessment in a changing environment; Conservation studies, protocols and suitable procedures for preservation/conservation activities; Development of open and low-cost robotic solutions for the inspection, documentation and monitoring of UCH; Raising the public awareness and knowledge about the importance to preserve the underwater historical and archaeological heritage. All the objectives will be devoted to stimulate new ideas that would bring to the development of new marketable products by capitalizing on the research results that will be achieved in the project, creating a link between business, research and higher education.

The envisaged innovation idea of the H2O robotics is the full Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) system created by lightweight, low-cost acoustic devices that link underwater network with terrestrial networks. IoUT system would provide positioning of underwater agents (e.g. sensors, vehicles, divers) and simultaneous communication between users on land and the underwater agents/things. Turning this innovative idea into an innovation project we will gradually expand our product portfolio with a new product, IoUT product, as well as expand the application portfolio of our existing products. Development of advanced technologies represents only one segment in a puzzle of turning innovation idea into commercially successful product. Insufficient in-house capacities in innovation management and business development and lack of appropriate candidates with these skills on the national labour market represent the problem and the barrier that this project will help us to overcome. Integration of the Innovation Associate into this venture will reinforce capacity of the team, multiply effect of the effort and help releasing full societal and commercial potential of the innovation idea. This project will be beneficial for both, Innovation Associate and the company. A solid scientific PhD-level background of the Associate will be deepened in the field related to innovation, his/her business-related skills will be developed and strengthen and a significant level of independence in work will be established. As a result, career stage of the Associate will be elevated to R3. H2O robotics will get an opportunity to launch new innovative products and/or services that will distinguish the SME from the competitors on the global market and get an employee (Innovation Associate) with capacities difficult to find and attract on the national labour market.