The RISE IMET International Conference on Emerging Technologies and the Digital Transformation of Museums and Heritage Sites is organised by the Research Centre on Interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies (RISE). RISE constitutes a centre of excellence and a joint venture between the three public universities of Cyprus (University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology and Open University of Cyprus), the Municipality of Nicosia, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics (Germany) and University College London (UK). This is the first conference in a series of RISE annual conferences focusing on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies (RISE - IMET).

The conference is dedicated to the exploration of current practices in the use of emerging and interactive technologies such as augmented, mixed or virtual reality, holographic models, 3D models, artificial intelligence, sensors and gamification in museums and heritage sites. The aim of this conference is to promote critical and interdisciplinary approaches and conversations between participants from diverse fields and to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue between academics and professionals from various backgrounds on digital advances, innovation and their impact on the field of cultural heritage. Thus, we encourage the submission of abstracts from academics and professionals from the fields of museum studies, cultural heritage, computer science, heritage management, artificial intelligence, visual arts and cognitive science amongst others.

Potential themes include but are not limited to:

• Advantages, challenges and limitations of emerging technologies
• Current theoretical and practical approaches in digital heritage
• Case studies of successful or not-so-successful implementations of emerging technologies in museums and heritage sites (critical approaches to the application of emerging technologies)
• Emerging trends in the digital presentation, interpretation and management of cultural heritage
• VR, AR, MR, Mobile Applications and Gamification in museums and heritage sites
• Cultural Informatics and ethical considerations
• The application of emerging technologies in specialised areas of cultural heritage, e.g. contested heritage, intangible cultural heritage, World Heritage Sites
• Immersion, immersive experiences and authenticity in cultural heritage
• Interactive/Emerging Technologies and education/museum pedagogy
• New technologies and visitor behaviour analysis/visitor studies
• Cultural tourism and emerging technologies: museums, heritage sites and smart applications
• Technologies of crowdsourcing for museums and heritage sites/participatory memory practices through technology
• Affective technologies and museums
• Galleries, technology and contemporary art

Guide for submissions: To submit an abstract, panel, session, workshop or poster proposal please follow the directions found on our website: http://cyprusconferences.org/riseimet2020

Deadline for abstract submission: 30 November 2019

Abstracts should be no more than 500 words including references. Please also submit a short CV (no more than 150 words per CV) for all authors, together with your professional affiliation(s) and contact details. For bibliographical references please follow APA style (https://apastyle.apa.org/).

The organisers also welcome proposals for panel discussions, sessions, workshops and poster presentations. Proposals should be no more than 500 words and should include details of potential participants, topics, and presenters. The chair of each panel discussion or session will be expected to organise the structure of the discussion, set the order of presentations and coordinate the session.

All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference abstract book which will be available as a booklet at the conference. In addition, authors of selected papers will be given the opportunity to submit their papers and be considered for publication in the conference proceedings. Submitted papers will go through the process of peer-review.

Important Dates

• Deadline for abstract submission: 30 November 2019
• Notification of acceptance: 1 February 2020
• Early registration: 1 February - 31 March 2020
• Late registration: 1 April - 15 May 2020
• Conference Dates: 3-5 June 2020
• For any enquiries regarding the conference, please contact Dr. Maria Shehade at:  [email protected]