IMAT project: From innovative nanotechnology to best practices in art conservation

The research and development of new conservation materials and instrumentation and the integration of contemporary science into the discipline are of fundamental importance in formulating best practices in conservation and preserving cultural heritage assets. With this goal in mind in November 2011, the IMAT project (Intelligent Mobile Accurate Thermo-Electrical mild heating device) was launched under the European Commission's 7th Framework Program (FP7) for research. During the three-year length of the project, coordinated by the University of Florence, a European consortium of researchers representing expertise in conservation, nanotechnology, and thermo-electrical engineering will develop nanotechnology for the IMAT devices specifically designed for highly accurate mild heating in conservation of artworks and other cultural heritage assets. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.