The National Science Foundation Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded the University of Kentucky Research Foundation a $1.5 million cooperative agreement on November 15, 2026, to support operations of EDUCELAB, a heritage science facility enabling researchers to study and preserve historical objects, collections, and records using imaging, computing, artificial intelligence, and other non-destructive analysis methods. EDUCELAB has demonstrated capability in identifying previously unknown Civil War grave sites and enabling virtual unrolling and reading of ancient scrolls preserved in volcanic ash near Pompeii through novel AI methods.
The facility will serve as a shared national user resource where scientists, scholars, students, and heritage professionals from museums, libraries, universities, public agencies, and community organizations can collaborate on questions about artifacts, manuscripts, biological remains, museum collections, buildings, and historic landscapes. The award funds operations of this infrastructure, which addresses the gap for institutions whose materials are too fragile, rare, large, or complex for ordinary analysis tools and that lack access to advanced instruments, computing resources, and expert guidance.
The award runs through October 31, 2030, with place of performance in Lexington, Kentucky. The program supports investigator-initiated research and education in computing and information science under NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070).