The José de Figueiredo Laboratory
One of the responsibilities of the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) is to implement the policy of safeguarding, researching and conserving movable cultural assets and associated architectural decorations belonging to the State, and to other public and private entities. In order to pursue this policy, the DGPC assigns the following responsibilities to the José de Figueiredo Laboratory:
- To decide on the viability of projects for conservation and restoration of movable cultural heritage, listed or awaiting listing, as well as carry out conservation and restoration works on movable cultural heritage of national or public interest or, on an exceptional basis, on non-listed property bearing historic, artistic, technical or scientific value that will justify becoming a benchmark in safeguarding and conserving the movable cultural heritage;
- o To carry out or promote, by its own means or in cooperation with other national or international entities, research projects in areas such as conservation and restoration, techniques of artistic production and materials science; to conduct studies on the causes of decay of any cultural object materials and to define methodologies for safeguarding them;
- To propose measures to ensure preventive conservation, risk assessment and management of movable cultural assets belonging to the DGPC services and to develop and publish regulations and technical guidelines for conservation and restoration of the movable cultural heritage and associated architectural decorations;
- To conduct expert evaluation of cultural objects;
- To promote training programmes for both academic (for masters, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees) and professional internships in specific areas;
- To encourage preventive conservation actions and raise awareness for good practices in conservation and restoration of cultural assets;
- To accredit, under the terms to be regulated by a specific legal provision, any public or private entities, collective or individual, involved in the conservation and restoration of movable cultural heritage and associated architectural decorations;
- To develop partnerships for fulfilling the above mentioned goals, namely with higher education institutions, research centres and public and private laboratories, locally and abroad, and to provide technical and scientific assistance to other entities and professionals within its areas of responsibility.