The course was founded in 1976 by UNESCO as part of a general response to the flooding of Venice. It has been held fourteen times up to 2003 and has been organized in partnership with ICCROM by the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (IUAV), the Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice, the Superintendencies for the Cultural Heritage of Venice, and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE). In 2003 ICCROM commissioned an evaluation of the previous five courses (1993–2001). In the 2006–7 Biennium, an expert meeting with stone conservation experts from various regions of the world will take place in order to design a new curriculum for the course. The next course will be held from 16 April – 3 July 2009.

updated on: 12 May, 2008