3D-4CH Winter School 2026: from strategy to practice

From January 21 to 23, 2026, the first edition of the 3D‑4CH Winter School took place at the Art & History Museum in Brussels. The event marked the official launch of the seasonal school program of the Online Competence Center, an EU‑funded initiative that promotes skills development, interoperability, and innovation in the field of 3D Cultural Heritage.

Over 100 participants from across Europe gathered to explore the role of 3D digitization, extended reality (XR), and digital storytelling in Cultural Heritage practices, connecting European strategies and policies with hands-on applications in museums and cultural institutions.

The opening day focused on the European framework, highlighting the links between cultural policies, strategic vision, and skills development. Discussions showed how 3D technologies are becoming increasingly central to the EU’s digital and cultural agendas. Presentations of active initiatives within the Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programmes brought forward key themes such as interoperability, common standards, and institutional cooperation. In the afternoon, attention turned to practical implementation: from organizing digitization workflows to managing 3D collections and enabling accessibility and data publication.

The second day moved into full practice with an immersive, hands-on program. Workshops offered participants the opportunity to work directly with museum artifacts, experimenting with photogrammetry, 3D scanning, and advanced techniques such as Gaussian splatting. Alongside digitization, sessions dedicated to extended reality storytelling demonstrated how 3D content can evolve into compelling immersive experiences designed for cultural heritage.

The third day completed the journey through the full 3D workflow, from acquisition to dissemination. A guided visit to the Plaster Casts Laboratory provided a chance to reinterpret historical reproduction practices in light of today’s digital technologies. The final sessions focused on data and metadata management, licensing, and publication through the Share3D Dashboard, offering a clear and integrated view of the complete life cycle of a 3D project.

Overall, the first edition of the 3D‑4CH Winter School successfully built a coherent bridge between strategic vision and practical application, laying the groundwork for future training activities and strengthening European collaboration in the domain of digital cultural heritage.

The full recap: https://www.3d4ch-competencecentre.eu/en/news/3d-4ch-winter-school-2026-from-strategy-to-practice/

Watch the video interview with Fulgencio Sanmartín, Project Officer at the European Commission, as he reflects on the strategic importance of skills, capacity building, and long-term impact.

https://youtube.com/shorts/5NtV0JRD6S4