The Cyprus Institute has a historical partnership with the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France (C2RMF), the national research centre in France responsible for the documentation, conservation and restoration of the items held in the collections of more than 1,200 museums across France.  The role of C2RMF was instrumental in the creation of our Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC).

Since then, CyI and STARC have grown and expanded their sphere of activities to domains broader than only museums artefacts, to include for example, works of art, archaeological sites, historical buildings, libraries, archives etc.  Meanwhile in France, the Foundation for Heritage Sciences, or Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine (FSP), was created in 2013 and is a partnership consortium under the patronage of the French Ministry of Culture, merging universities (in Cergy, Nanterre, Versailles etc.) with laboratories such as C2RMF and cultural institutions (Louvre Museum, Versailles Castle, French National Library, National Archives etc.

With the former Head of the Research Department (Laboratory) of the C2RMF, Prof. Michel Menu, now based at the Cyprus Institute, a unique and timely opportunity arose to enhance the initial agreement with the C2RMF to the FSP thus creating a broader space for collaboration and partnership.