In 2023, the year in which Timisoara was European Capital of Culture, Politehnica University Timisoara, through the project Heritage under the Spotlight / Spotlight Heritage Timisoara, integrated NFT (non-fungible tokens) technology into digital culture to provide a unique digital perspective on the city's cultural and historical heritage.

An innovative moment in Timisoara's digital cultural ecosystem is the creation of three distinct NFTs, a first in the Romanian academic landscape, through which the city's history, culture and innovation are expressed and perpetuated. The University has initiated, starting in 2020, actions for the adoption of blockchain technologies in education and creative industries through the project "EBSI4RO: Connecting Romania through Blockchain", which integrates European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) The NFT integration application was developed by a UPT team, the main developer being PhD student Victor Holotescu, under the coordination of prof.dr.eng. Rdau Vasiu and Dr.eng. Diana Andone.

"Politehnica University Timisoara is firmly committed to promoting innovation and digital development in education and research. Through cutting-edge projects and initiatives, we strive to bring technology and creativity to the forefront of human knowledge. We focus on initiatives such as the Spotlight Heritage Timisoara project, which highlights our efforts to integrate emerging technologies such as NFTs to preserve and promote the city's cultural and historical heritage. We encourage everyone's involvement in exploring the new frontiers of digital technology, contributing to society's progress and global connection.", said Florin Drăgan, rector of Politehnica University Timisoara.

"Under the generic heading SpotlightHeritageTM2023 we find 3 NFTs created by Timisoara Polytechnic University and the National Museum of Banat, with their own stories and inspired by how we transform Timisoara's cultural and historical heritage into a vibrant and innovative experience. From the very beginning, we set out to find unique and accessible ways to preserve and share cultural values with a global audience. Thus, all digital products are under a Creative Commons free license, some are integrated into the Europeana digital library, and now through these NFTs everyone can own a piece of Timisoara's memory." says Dr Diana Andone, Director of the Department of DI/IFR and Digital Education.

What are NFTs and how do they work?

NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are a digital form of ownership that uses blockchain technology to authenticate the uniqueness and ownership of a particular digital asset. Each NFT is unique and has a specific identity, allowing it to be used to represent things like art, music, videos, games, and more.

Enjoy a unique piece of Timișoara's history!

https://nft.spotlight-timisoara.eu/

1. SpotlightHeritageTM2023 I

In February 2023, the Spotlight Heritage Collection - Timisoara2023 was launched with the Opening of Timisoara 2023. The first NFT SpotlightHeritageTM2023 I  marks Timisoara's innovation with an image created by 13m10j (Marius Jurca - b. 2 November 1984), a new media artist from Timisoara concerned with the connections between art, science and technology. What defines the image of this NFT is the intersection between machine code, human language and the perseverance of a team of researchers, professors and students from the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, who in 1960 created MECIPT-1 (Electronic Computing Machine of the Polytechnic Institute of Timișoara), the first "computer" created by a university in Romania. An institution that since 1920 has successfully positioned itself in the technological vanguard and that today continues to explore the limits of technology and innovation for a more creative and sustainable region. It is technology that links the past to the future and the future to the past. The first phrase successfully translated from English into Romanian in real time was "You explain the development of science and we help describe the examples" and was made by MECIPT-1 on 17 May 1962. The NFT was introduced and demonstrated by Diana Andone, the project coordinator, PhD student Victor Holotescu the blockchain application developer and Marius Jurcă the artist who created the image at the Digital Culture and Heritage Talks conference.

2. SpotlightHeritageTM2023 II

SpotlightHeritageTM2023 II was inspired by the city of Timișoara and its heritage and includes a map with all the points of interest spread over the five districts: Iosefin, Elisabetin, Fabric, Cetate and Giroc, created by Cristina-Tereza Turcu, Rafael Leucuta, Diana Andone. This NFT reflects the impact of the data collected by the team on the 110 locations in the city, cultural and historical heritage data and information, geographic mapping, old and new photos, 360 images and videos, with augmented reality building recognition (with information and old photos overlaid). For each landmark, Heritage in the Spotlight tells the multiple stories of Timisoara through digital technologies, stories of communities and neighbourhoods, interwoven with the personal stories of past and present residents. All the artefacts are created in Romanian and English, under Creative Commons license, some of which are included in the Europeana digital library. This NFT is the second in the Spotlight Heritage Timisoara 2023 collection, part of a project at the intersection of artistic practice, heritage celebration and digital technology.

3. SpotlightHeritageTM2023 III

The first NFT Spotlight Heritage TM2023 was inspired by technology and innovation, the second by the city of Timisoara and heritage, while the third celebrates people. The people who imagined, created, innovated, developed, designed, illustrated, programmed, assembled, volunteered and worked hard to bring Spotlight Heritage Timisoara to life since its inception in 2014. SpotlightHeritageTM2023 III captures a mosaic of diverse activities and portraits of the students, teachers, curators, museographers, artists, programmers, managers, volunteers who have played an essential role, offering a retrospective journey into the soul of the city. It not only encapsulates the spirit of the project, but also serves as a digital testament to the fusion of past, present and future in the vibrant city of Timișoara. This NFT, created by Rafael Leucuta, Diana Andone is the latest in the Spotlight Heritage Timisoara 2023 collection, integrated into the project at the intersection of artistic practices, heritage celebration and digital technology.

These NFTs not only represent an important moment in the promotion of Timisoara's cultural heritage, but also open the way to a new form of expression and interaction with the city's history. They represent a window to the past and an innovative way to present and perpetuate cultural heritage for future generations, allowing digital collectors to own and appreciate unique aspects and details of the city's history in a unique digital form.

Enjoy a unique piece of Timișoara's history! Collect NFTs for free and connect to the city's heritage digitally! Find out now how you can get these unique pieces, which are at the intersection of artistic practices, heritage celebration and digital technology: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/mobil-ar-vr/#nft

The digital components of the project are accessible online at https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/ and via mobile apps that can be downloaded from Android and Apple stores or by searching "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara".

● Apps link for Android users: https://is.gd/SjiIgv

● Link apps for iOS users: https://is.gd/y6JxeV

Event information is also available on:

●      Web page:: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/

●      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpotlightHeritageTimisoara/

●      Twitter: @spotlight_TM21

●      Instagram: @spotlight_tm

Spotlight Heritage Timișoara / Patrimoniul sub reflectoare is a digital cultural initiative of the Politehnica University of Timișoara realized in partnership with the National Museum of Banat, part of the Cultural Programme Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture. Cultural project co-financed by the Center for Projects of the Municipality of Timișoara, Timiș County Council, Ministry of Culture, Romania, EEA and Norway Grants.