Objectives

• Upgrading infrastructure (room adaptation, storage facilities and equipment) for long-term storage of collections and associated laboratories of IBER-BAS and NMNHS-BAS
• Upgrading research equipment (optical devices), IT and digital imaging technique in order to provide the best basis for the accomplishment of digitisation and to ensure open public access and long-term maintenance of the digital resources of the collections

Description of work

Task 2.1. Upgrading long-term storage facilities and collection equipment of IBER-BAS.
Task leaders: Assoc. Prof. Ivaylo Dedov (Base 1), Prof. Snezhana Grozeva (Base 2), Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Bozukov (Base 3)
The task activities envisage the reconstructions of the room facilities of collection units and upgrading their equipment aiming at increasing their capacity for long-term storage of collections. This task includes two main steps for each collection unit: (i) upgrading room facilities of the main collections and their preparatory laboratories; (ii) renewal of the storage equipment of the collections, i.e. purchasing mobile archive shelving systems for storing dry and liquid-preserved materials (“wet” collections). The main activities in order to execute each sub-task will be in accordance with the legal provisions: (i) survey and evaluation of offers, (ii) purchase of the equipment needed, and (iii) deployment of the new equipment. The task is scheduled for month 1 - month 38, mobilising the efforts to accomplish the main activities in the first, the second and the third years of the project. It includes the following sub-tasks:

• Reconstruction of the long-term storage facilities of the Zoological Collections of IBER-BAS (Non-insect invertebrates): Helminthological, Nematological, Malacological, Collections of Diplopoda and Oligochaeta (months 1–9): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 1–6); b) renewal of the storage equipment and purchasing consumables (months 7–9)
• Reconstruction of the preparatory laboratory of Mycological Collection (IBER-SOMF) (months 2–7): a) upgrading room facilities (months 2–4); b) purchasing and renewal of the storage equipment (months 5–7)
• Separation and adaptation of preparatory refrigerating room for disinsection in Herbarium (IBER-SOM) (months 2–6): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 2–4); b) obtaining and deployment of the refrigerating equipment (months 5, 6)
• Renewal and upgrading of the storage equipment in Entomological and Arachnological Collections (purchasing additional shelves and consumables) (months 4–6)
• Reconstruction and adaptation of room with facilities for DNA-collection (IBER-GEN) (months 4, 5)
• Reconstruction of the long-term storage of the Palaeobotanical Collection (months 7–12): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 7–12); b) installation of archive mobile shelving systems and purchasing additional equipment and consumables (months 13–16)
• Reconstruction of the long-term storage of the Zoological Collections of Vertebrates (fossil and recent mammals) (months 13–20): a) upgrading room facilities (months 13–17); b) installation of archive mobile shelving systems and purchasing additional equipment and consumables (months 18– 20)
• Upgrading of the long-term storage of Ex situ Collection of Living Plants and reconstruction of the greenhouse (months 35–38)

Task 2.2. Upgrading long-term storage facilities and collection equipment of NMNHS-BAS.
Task leaders: Assoc. Prof. Stoyan Beshkov, Assoc. Prof. Tihomir Stefanov, Dr Nedko Nedyalkov
This task includes the same principal steps as Task 2.1 for each collection unit at the NMNHS-BAS: (i) upgrading room facilities of the main collections and their preparatory laboratories; (ii) renewal of the storage equipment of the collections, i.e. purchasing archive mobile shelving systems for storing, shelves for dry and for liquid-preserved materials (“wet” collections). The main activities, in order to execute each sub-task, will be in accordance with the legal provisions: (i) survey and evaluation of offers, (ii) purchase of the equipment needed, and (iii) deployment of the new equipment. The total duration of the task is month 1 – month 38, mobilising the efforts to accomplish the main activities in the first, the second and the third years of the project. It includes the following sub-tasks:

• Reconstruction and adaptation of room facilities and storage equipment of the Zoological Wet Collections: Recent Fishes, Recent Amphibians and Reptiles, and Recent Birds (former Meeting Room) (months 2–6): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 2–4); b) installation of archive mobile shelving systems and purchasing of additional equipment and consumables (months 5–6)
• Renewal of the room facilities and equipment of Collections of Fossil and Recent Birds (months 1–2) and Entomological Collections (months 13–14)
• Upgrading the room facilities and long-term storage facilities of the Mineral Collections and adjacent basement hall, including collections of Fossil Invertebrates and Non-insect Invertebrates (months 13–19): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 13–16); b) installation of archive mobile shelving systems and purchasing additional equipment and consumables (months 17–19)
• Renewal of the room and storage facilities of the Collection of Fossil/Subfossil Mammals and Palaeoanthropology and the Collection of Recent Mammals (Macromammalia) (months 13–15)
• Upgrading the room facilities and long-term storage facilities of the Collection of Fossil Mammals – Branch Asenovgrad (months 25–29): a) reconstruction of the room facilities (months 25– 27); b) installation of archive mobile shelving systems and purchasing additional equipment and consumables (months 28–29)
• Reconstruction and adaptation of room facilities (basement) and upgrading storage equipment of the Collections of Recent Mammals (Micromammalia), Fossil Vertebrates and Herbarium – Recent Plants (months 34–38): a) reconstruction of the basement room facilities (months 34–36); b) purchasing shelving systems, additional equipment and consumables (months 37, 38)

Task 2.3. Upgrading and renewal of research equipment
Task leaders: Assoc. Prof. Stela Lazarova, Dr. Boyan Zlatkov
The task includes upgrading the optical equipment (stereomicroscopes and microscopes) and upgrading the available optical devises with digital equipment and software for image manipulation, which are necessary to accomplish the digitisation at the high-quality level. Additionally, the task envisages upgrading refrigerating equipment, fossil microtomes and other equipment needed for long- term maintenance of collections. The sub-tasks are scheduled depending on the levels of the progress in the digitisation of collection units. The upgrade of the optical equipment will be accomplished in two steps: a) renewal of stereomicroscopes and microscopes and upgrading the available devises (purchasing new digital cameras, filters, objectives, etc.) aiming at the acquisition of good quality digital images for basic gallery of the collections resources; b) renewal of high level microscope equipment aiming at producing the best-quality high resolution images for the purposes of on-demand digitisation access to certain collection materials. The activities will follow the legal provisions of purchasing research equipment: (i) survey and evaluation of offers, (ii) purchasing the equipment needed, and (iii) deployment of the new equipment. The task is scheduled for the entire duration of the project and includes the following sub-tasks:
Subtasks:

• Upgrade and renewal of the microscope equipment (stereomicroscopes, basic microscopes, upgrading available devices) (months 2–6; 13–17): a) collection units at IBER-BAS: Nematological Collection, Malacological Collection, Collection of Diplopoda, Entomological and Arachnological Collections, Collection of Recent Mammals, Herbarium (Bryological Collection), Palaeobotanical Collection and Mycological Collection (months 2–6); Aquatic Invertebrates Collection and Mycological Collection (microscopes) (months 13–17). b) collection units at NMNHS-BAS: Arachnological Collection, Entomological Collection, Recent Fishes Collection, Recent Amphibians and Reptiles Collection (months 2–6); Fossil Mammals Collection – branch Asenovgrad, Herbarium – Recent Plants, Non-insect Invertebrate Collection (months 13–17)
• Upgrade and renewal of the microscope equipment (high-class microscopes, upgrading of available devices) (months 25–28): a) collection units at IBER-BAS: Helminthological, Nematological, Herbarium (Bryological Collection), Palynological and Palaeobotanical collections; b) collection units at NMNHS-BAS: Mineralogical Collection, Collection of Fossil, Subfossil Mammals and Palaeoanthropology, Arachnological Collection.
• Upgrading refrigerating equipment and refrigeration storage supplies (months 3, 4, 25–27). a) collection units at IBER-BAS: Aquatic Invertebrates, Herbarium-SOM, DNA-Collection (months 3–4); Protozoological, Palaeobotanical, Ex situ Living Plants, Mycological (months 25–27). b) collection units at NMNHS-BAS: Fossil Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles; Fossil, Subfossil Mammals and Palaeoanthropology, Herbarium – Recent Plants (months 3–4); Arachnological, Entomological, Recent Fishes, Recent Birds, Recent Mammals (Micromammalia) (months 25–27)

Task 2.4. Upgrading of IT equipment and digital imaging supplies
Task leaders: Mr Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Assoc. Prof. Rostislav Bekchiev
The task is aiming to upgrade the IT equipment and specialised image manipulation software as well as to renovate the digital imaging systems (cameras and photograph supplies) needed to organise and facilitate the digitisation processes, i.e. development and maintenance of digital database and creating high-quality images (DIL) of the representative part of the collection resources. The task activities are organised and scheduled in two sub-tasks. The first sub-task includes hardware and software upgrade of the collection units (purchase of PC workstations for curators, local network and peripheral supplies), which will facilitate the accomplishment of the digital catalogue and the image post- processing. The second sub-task envisages the renewal of the digital photograph equipment necessary for producing the high-quality digital images, i.e. DSLR-cameras, macro-lenses, filters, stands or GigaPan devises with software for automatic acquisition of multiple images in high resolution. The task is scheduled for the entire duration of the project. An evaluation meeting in the beginning of every year of the project will assess the current level and evaluate the needs of the next stage of upgrade.
Activities

• Hardware upgrade (months 2–4, 13–14, 25–26, 37–38)
• Upgrading the digital photography equipment (months 2–4, 13–14, 25–26, 37–38)

WP 2-related deliverables

• D2.01: Overview of upgraded and new long-term storage facilities and collection equipment of BER-BAS and NMNHS-BAS (inventory lists and copies of invoices) – 12 , 24 and 38 month
• D2.02: Overview of upgraded and new research equipment of IBER-BAS and NMNHS-BAS (inventory lists and copies of invoices) – 12 , 24 and 28 month.
• D2.03: Overview of upgraded IT, software supplies and digital photography equipment of IBER -BAS and NMNHS-BAS (inventory list and copies of invoices) – 12 , 24 and 38 month

WP 2-related milestones

• M2.1: Meeting for offers evaluation and decision on upgrading of long-term storage facilities and collection equipment acquisition – months 3, 12, 24 and 33
• M2.2: Meeting for offers evaluation and decision on research equipment acquisition – months 3, 12 and 24
• M2.3: Meeting for offers evaluation and decision on IT and digital equipment acquisition – months 2, 12, 24 and 36