The Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) Access Fund Catalyst Projects has awarded funding to five innovative initiatives set to redefine how heritage science drives research, conservation and public engagement across the UK. These projects demonstrate the transformative potential of enabling access to cutting-edge science to unlock knowledge, enhance accessibility and empower the heritage science community, safeguarding nationally significant heritage for generations to come.
Running until March 2026, the Catalyst Projects represent an early phase, a foundational stage of the RICHeS Access Fund. They are designed to test and refine processes ensuring the full Access Fund delivers a robust, inclusive and responsive service that provides seamless access to the national distributed infrastructure of RICHeS.
Launching on Wednesday 28 January 2026, the RICHeS Access Fund will enable heritage science and conservation researchers, research organisations and other eligible users to access RICHeS-funded equipment, specialist facilities, nationally important collections and expert guidance. The initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstrate the value of distributed research infrastructure to both the research community and the wider public.
RICHeS offers world-leading scientific capabilities that allows researchers, conservators and heritage professionals to push the boundaries of what is possible. The Catalyst Projects mark a significant step forward in UKRI’s mission to advance knowledge, drive innovation and strengthen the UK’s long-term research and innovation infrastructure.
Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), said:
“Heritage science helps us understand, protect and celebrate the cultural assets that shape who we are. These Catalyst Projects show the impact that world-class facilities and expertise can have when they are opened up to researchers, heritage organisations and local communities. The RICHeS Access Fund is a vital step in ensuring these capabilities are available across the UK, driving excellence, innovation and public value.”
Professor Meggen Gondek, Head of RICHeS IHQ, said:
“These Catalyst Projects capture the ambition of RICHeS, opening up world-class scientific infrastructure to the entire heritage science community. The Access Fund will drive new discoveries, support heritage organisations of all sizes and ensure our shared cultural heritage is studied and preserved using the best tools available. These initiatives are only the beginning, together we are building a national capability that will transform heritage science in the UK.”
The Awarded Projects
1. Embedding Accessibility: Making Scientific Analysis Tactile for the Visually Impaired
- RICHeS Investment Lead: D-MACH Facility
- Project Lead: Dr Ben Edwards, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Project Partners: Portland Basin Museum
In partnership with Portland Basin Museum, this project is revolutionising accessibility for visually impaired visitors. Using RICHeS-funded analytical equipment, the team will digitise and 3D-print museum objects, embedding scientific data, such as material composition and surface treatment into replicas as braille dots. This innovative approach combines object handling with direct access to scientific insights, setting a new standard for inclusivity in heritage interpretation.
Rachel Cornes, Museums Manager, Portland Basin Museum, said:
“This project will provide a new sensory experience for visitors to Portland Basin Museum… We’re excited to be working with MMU on such a unique project.”
2. Moving Pictures: Preserving Automotive Film Heritage
- RICHeS Investment Lead: English Heritage Mobile and Fixed Facilities
- Project Lead: Dr David Thicket, English Heritage
- Project Partners: British Motor Museum
This project addresses a critical preservation challenge within the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s archive of 7,000 historic film reels. Many reels are made from cellulose acetate, which is chemically unstable and hazardous as it degrades. Others are polyester and far more stable. Currently, the archive lacks essential cataloguing data on film composition, making safe storage and conservation difficult. The project will develop systematic identification and condition assessment methods to safeguard these nationally significant films and ensure their long-term accessibility.
Stephen Laing, Head of Collections and Engagement, BMIHT/British Motor Museum, said:
“This partnership will give BMIHT a new method to gain insight into the condition of its film collections… essential to creating much wider access to these fascinating reels.”
3. Unlocking the Sulgrave Archaeological Archive through Community Science
- RICHeS Investment Lead: Biocultural HIVE
- Project Lead: Dr Sean Doherty
- Project Partners: Northamptonshire ARC
This project will revitalise a nationally significant archaeological archive from Sulgrave, Northamptonshire—home to a rare tenth-century residence and Norman castle. Volunteers at the Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre will be trained in advanced heritage science techniques, including radiography, elemental analysis, and 3D scanning. These new datasets and digital models will unlock the site’s research potential and ensure long-term preservation through integration into the Biocultural HIVE repository, providing a model for community-driven heritage science.
Ben Donnelly-Symes, Archaeological Archives Curator, Northamptonshire ARC, said:
“This project will allow us to bring cutting-edge science into the heart of our collections… showing how local archives are centres of innovation, research and community engagement.”
4. Charred Plant Remains and Wood Charcoal from the Late Neolithic Village at Durrington Walls
- RICHeS Investment Lead: SHEFF BIOARCH
- Project Lead: Dr Catherine Longford
- Project Partners: Durrington walls
This project investigates the diet and seasonal practices of the builders of Stonehenge by reanalysing charred plant remains from Durrington Walls, a key Neolithic settlement. Using RICHeS-funded access to specialist reference collections and high-resolution microscopy, archaeobotanists will identify wild plant seeds and wood charcoal to a finer taxonomic level. These findings will shed light on food provisioning, ecological zones exploited, and the movement of resources across Britain offering new insights into Neolithic life and feasting traditions.
Ellen Simmons, Archaeobotanist, Durrington Walls, said:
“Support from RICHeS will enable higher-level identification of wild seed remains, with benefits for wider research into the Neolithic.”
5. Romans at the Tweed: Returning to Trimontium to examine a crossing point at the northern limit of the Roman Empire
- RICHeS Investment Lead: From Land to Sea
- Project Lead: Dr Kayt Armstrong
- Project Partners: AOC Archaeology and Trimontium Trust
This project will carry out new scientific surveys at Trimontium, a key Roman frontier site, using advanced survey techniques to improve understanding of how the Roman Empire controlled movement across the River Tweed at its northernmost limits. Delivered through the Uncovering the Tweed project, the work brings together technical specialists, archaeologists and volunteers, placing public participation at the heart of frontier research while ensuring new data and insights are widely shared.
Dr Graeme Cavers, Project Manager, AOC Archaeology, said:
“We’re very much looking forward to the surveys, the new data that will result and sharing the experience and learning with as wide an audience as possible.”
Dr John Reid, Chair of the Trimontium Trust, said:
“Improving our knowledge about our local history helps create identity and community. This project offers a number of possibilities to generate exciting new information that will significantly add to our understanding of this complex site. Passing that knowledge on can only add positive value to our local testimony, which has the wider effect of strengthening social cohesion.”
Collective Impact: Strengthening UK Heritage Science research
Together, these five Catalyst Projects illustrate the breadth, creativity and national value of conservation and heritage science across the UK. They demonstrate how the RICHeS Access Fund is already:
- Generating new knowledge and research excellence
- Enhancing accessibility and public engagement
- Protecting vulnerable collections for future generations
- Empowering communities and developing new skills
- Building regional capacity through shared national infrastructure
These Catalyst Projects are providing practical insights that will shape the full RICHeS Access Fund, ensuring it is responsive, inclusive and impactful at a national scale. By opening up world-class scientific facilities, expertise and collections, RICHeS is strengthening the UK’s research and innovation infrastructure and supporting the cultural, social and economic benefits that heritage brings to communities everywhere.