Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Sapienza's Quality Assurance (QA) System is described in detail on the Quality Team's web pages, available at https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/team-qualita.

The web pages describe the ten-year process developed by the University to build Sapienza's Quality Assurance, the organizational model adopted, the QA stakeholders (Quality Team, Monitoring Committees, Joint Faculty-Student Committees, Degree Program Quality Committees), the active Working Groups, the main activities developed, and the documentation prepared for managing Quality Assurance processes and activities in Teaching, Research, and the Third Mission.

The Web Pages also serve as a communication platform and a platform for providing reference data for Review activities, drafting reports by the Joint Teacher-Student Commissions and Monitoring Committees, and compiling the SUA-Teaching and SUA-Research Reports.
Each Degree Program and each Department may apply the Sapienza Quality Assurance Model defined on the Quality Team Web Pages to the Degree Program/Department Quality Assurance, adapting it to its own organizational needs while respecting the models and procedures defined by ANVUR and the Quality Team.
The Degree Program/Department Web Pages, together with the SUA-Teaching and SUA-Research Reports, represent the communication tools for implementing the Quality Assurance System at the Degree Program/Department level.

The Degree Program Quality Assurance Management Group will meet periodically with the following objectives:

- ensure that the quality of teaching is adequately documented, verifiable, and assessable;

- facilitate access to information, making it clearer and more understandable for students, families, and the workforce;

- foster a process of continuous improvement for the Degree Program;

- prepare and regularly update the Annual Review Report, as a tool for monitoring and planning corrective and development actions.

The Degree Program, through the Quality Assurance Management Committee (QACM), meets periodically to monitor the implementation of the corrective actions indicated in the previous Review Report. During these meetings, the results achieved are analyzed, with the aim of:
- evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions adopted;
- identify any persistent or newly emerged critical issues;
- enhance the strengths identified;
- propose improvements in line with educational objectives and stakeholder needs.

The Committee is also responsible for verifying the overall adequacy and effectiveness of the program's management, monitoring performance indicators (such as academic performance, graduate employability, and student satisfaction) and gathering useful evidence from internal and external sources. Based on this analysis, the Committee proposes, where necessary, new corrective and/or improvement actions to be included in the next Annual Review Report, thus contributing to the program's continuous improvement process.

The attention of the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) (cf. national agreements of March 13, 2009) and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC) to the training of new professionals in the diagnostics and conservation of cultural heritage has been repeatedly affirmed. During numerous meetings with various organizations in the sector, particularly the meeting with the Italian Association of Experts in Diagnostics Applied to Cultural Heritage on May 15, 2008, strong interest in this master's degree program was expressed from the professional world, and the concrete employment opportunities for graduates emerged.
At the final meeting of the University-wide consultation on January 22, 2010, taking into account the results of the preceding online consultation, the participating organizations favorably assessed Sapienza's new curriculum overall. Furthermore, after having carefully evaluated the educational offerings of the faculties that proposed the newly established courses and those resulting from the transformation of courses already established pursuant to Ministerial Decree 509/1999, taking into account the consultations carried out by the proposing faculties, the organizations themselves expressed a favorable opinion on the establishment of the individual study courses, deeming the specific educational objectives of the proposed courses to be consistent with the training needs present in the area.

In order to redefine training programs based on the current needs and challenges of the job market and in light of Ministerial Decree No. 1649 of December 19, 2023, a consultation event was organized on May 16, 2024, involving leading figures and professionals from the conservation and museum sectors. This event, titled "New Challenges in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Exploring the Skills of the Future," took place at the Botanical Garden of Sapienza University of Rome.
The CAD (Department of Applied Sciences for Cultural Heritage) held consultations with representatives of the Directorates General of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Central Institutes, Superintendencies and the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage, Zètema - Progetto Cultura s.r.l., the Museums and Archaeological Parks of Rome, and other entities in the Lazio region, along with private companies in the diagnostics and restoration sector, in the presence of Professor Faccini, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences.
Specifically, the following participated:
Prof. Alessandro Zuccari, Pro-Rector for Artistic, Historical, and Cultural Heritage – Sapienza University of Rome
Prof. Riccardo Faccini, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical, and Natural Sciences – Sapienza University of Rome
Prof. Laura Sadori, Director of the Department of Environmental Biology – Sapienza University of Rome
Prof. Gabriele Favero, President of the Teaching Area in Sciences Applied to Cultural Heritage (Degree Courses L-43 and LM-11)
at Sapienza University of Rome and National Coordinator of the Degree Classes in Sciences Applied to Cultural Heritage
at con.Scienze
Dr. Carlotta Sacco Perasso, President of the National Association of Experts in Diagnostics and Sciences and Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage
Dr. Marianna Bressan, Director of the General Directorate of Museums
Architect Esmeralda Valente, Director of the Service III of the Directorate General for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape
Dr. Sabrina Mingarelli, Director of Service III of the Directorate General for Archives
Dr. Giuliana Ordanini, Administrative Officer, Directorate General for Archives
Dr. Marina Marcelli, Archaeologist, Capitoline Superintendency of Cultural Heritage
Dr. Costanza Miliani, Director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences of the National Research Council (CNR-ISPC).
Dr. Maura Picciau, Director, Central Institute for Graphics
Architect Paolo Salonia, Management Consultant, ICOMOS Italy
Dr. Francesca Lezzi, Director, Rieti Civic Museum
Dr. Cecilia Sodano, Director, Bracciano Civic Museum
Dr. Gabriele Gioni, Exhibitions Manager, Goethe House Museum
Dr. Sabina Marchi, Head of Conservation and Cataloging, Zètema - Progetto Cultura s.r.l.
Dr. Marcella Ioele, Head of the Chemistry Laboratory, Central Institute for Restoration
Dr. Lucia Conti, Geologist, Central Institute for Restoration
Dr. Silvia Checchi, Conservator-Restorer, Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation
Dr. Silvia Borghini, Conservator-Restorer, National Roman Museum
Dr. Gianbattista Contini, Conservator, Maramotti Collection
Dr. Virginia Lapenta, Conservator, Villa Farnesina
Dr. Claudia Bortolussi, Siltea srl
Dr. Leonardo Borgioli, CTS s.r.l.
Prof. Rodorico Giorgi, President of the Single Council of the Degree Program in "Diagnostics and Materials for Conservation
and Restoration" (L-43) and the Master's Degree Program in "Sciences and Materials for Conservation and Restoration" (LM-11)
University of Florence
Prof. Marco Merlini, President of the Teaching Committee of Sciences and Technologies for the Conservation and Diagnostics of
Cultural Heritage, University of Milan
Prof. Maria Pia Morigi, Coordinator of the Master's Degree Program in Science for the Conservation-Restoration of
Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna.
The discussion with stakeholders highlighted:
- great interest in the knowledge and professional qualifications of the conservation scientist;
- appreciation for the teaching offered by Sapienza's LM-11 program;
- need to increase the number of agreements and conventions between the university and public and private entities to promote internships for students;
- increased demand for the transfer of technical and scientific knowledge from research to stakeholders (both public and private);
- need to strengthen digital knowledge for Cultural Heritage.

The minutes of the stakeholder consultation are available at the following link: