The kick-off meeting of the research project METENCO – Historical Metalworking Techniques and Environmental Influences on the Corrosion and Preservation of Copper and Its Alloys took place on 20 March 2026 at the historic Setzer-Tschiedel photographic studio in Vienna.

The event was opened by Univ.-Prof. Dr Christian Becker, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna, and Heinz Schödl, Administrative Director of the Austrian Federal Monuments Authority.

The Principal Investigators subsequently introduced the project, its main research questions and the planned areas of work:

• Mag. Dr Valentina Ljubić Tobisch, TU Wien, METENCO Project Coordinator
• HR Mag. Astrid M. Huber-Reichl, Austrian Federal Monuments Authority, Information and Training Centre for Architectural Conservation, Mauerbach Charterhouse
• Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr Wolfgang Kautek, University of Vienna, Institute of Physical Chemistry
• Dipl.-Min. Dr Klaudia Hradil, TU Wien, Head of the X-Ray Center 

The presentations focused on the interdisciplinary investigation of historical copper materials and patinas, the influence of manufacturing techniques and environmental conditions on corrosion processes, and the development of scientifically grounded strategies for the long-term preservation of cultural heritage made of copper and copper alloys.