The project WHALE-TWIN: Whales in the Wall: A Scalable Cultural Digital Twin Infrastructure for Europe’s Ocean Heritage has been awarded a 2026 ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant, worth €150,000, for an 18-month implementation period (2027–2028). This is the first ERC Proof of Concept grant awarded to NOVA FCSH and the first at NOVA University Lisbon outside the fields of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Physics/Engineering, highlighting the growing recognition of the Humanities’ contribution to scientific and technological innovation, as well as to the preservation and enhancement of maritime and ocean heritage.
WHALE-TWIN aims to develop a digital twin of a whale bone incorporated into a historic building in Atouguia da Baleia (Peniche, Portugal). By integrating historical, archaeological, ecological, and cultural data, the project will create an open digital infrastructure for the preservation, study, and dissemination of this unique heritage, fostering new approaches to the research, management, and valorisation of Europe’s ocean heritage.
Coordinated by Cristina Brito (CHAM – NOVA FCSH), WHALE-TWIN brings together a multidisciplinary team comprising researchers from CHAM, IHC and the Institute for Medieval Studies, represented by Rui Venâncio. IEM’s participation strengthens the project’s historical and medieval dimensions by combining Digital Humanities, Archaeology, Environmental History, and Heritage Studies to deepen knowledge of historical whaling in Peniche and to develop a digital twin model that can be replicated in other heritage contexts.