Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARCHE (Alliance for Research on Cultural Heritage in Europe)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-09-01 al 2023-08-31
The Cultural Heritage (CH) Research and Innovation (R&I) landscape has changed significantly over the past few years. New political, technological and socio-economic parameters put emphasis on improving protection, conservation and restoration efficiency of European CH with green technologies, as well as developing and further exploiting high quality digitisation, open access and curation of digital assets. The need also exists to enhance the innovation potential and competitive edge of the Cultural and Creative Sector (CCS) to drive sustainable growth and job creation against global competition.
Responding to these challenges, the project will develop a pan European framework for a holistic approach to CH R&I, by creating the Alliance for Research on Cultural Heritage in Europe (ARCHE), a spearheading coordination network of researchers, innovators, heritage professionals, institutional bodies and citizens. The objective is to engage all CH actors in member States / Associated Countries in the co-design of R&I strategies and roadmaps that lead to R&I initiatives
requiring multidisciplinary approaches and skills.
A detailed assessment of R&I gaps and needs for the next decade will be the basis for designing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for joint programming aiming to increase awareness of heritage and European sense of belonging. A new purpose-built governance structure will be proposed that will effectively involve existing networks and new partners from relevant scientific disciplines and industries. It will also promote intensive and wide-ranging collaboration between cultural heritage, the arts, and the CCS. The SRIA and governance structure will be tested in a pilot operation in the third and final year.
ARCHE will be a strong basis for a European Partnership in CH, by pooling, developing and upscaling transnational collaboration on CH R&I and by involving all stakeholders and funding mechanisms related to CH R&I policy and action.
The project's overall objectives are the following:
1. To draw a comprehensive picture of the EU CH R&I landscape and propose joint action responding to needs by efficient use of complementary funding sources.
2. To develop the ARCHE Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for R&I in Europe based on a holistic approach for CH as an interdisciplinary field for its conservation, preservation and valorisation.
3. To gear the ARCHE SRIA towards innovation and concrete actions for creating and developing innovative value chains.
4. To set-up a purpose-built governance structure promoting involvement and commitment of partner institutions and ensuring efficient coordination.
5. To achieve the critical mass in terms of participating stakeholders and resources needed for the longterm sustainable operation of ARCHE.
Responding to these challenges, the project will develop a pan European framework for a holistic approach to CH R&I, by creating the Alliance for Research on Cultural Heritage in Europe (ARCHE), a spearheading coordination network of researchers, innovators, heritage professionals, institutional bodies and citizens. The objective is to engage all CH actors in member States / Associated Countries in the co-design of R&I strategies and roadmaps that lead to R&I initiatives
requiring multidisciplinary approaches and skills.
A detailed assessment of R&I gaps and needs for the next decade will be the basis for designing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for joint programming aiming to increase awareness of heritage and European sense of belonging. A new purpose-built governance structure will be proposed that will effectively involve existing networks and new partners from relevant scientific disciplines and industries. It will also promote intensive and wide-ranging collaboration between cultural heritage, the arts, and the CCS. The SRIA and governance structure will be tested in a pilot operation in the third and final year.
ARCHE will be a strong basis for a European Partnership in CH, by pooling, developing and upscaling transnational collaboration on CH R&I and by involving all stakeholders and funding mechanisms related to CH R&I policy and action.
The project's overall objectives are the following:
1. To draw a comprehensive picture of the EU CH R&I landscape and propose joint action responding to needs by efficient use of complementary funding sources.
2. To develop the ARCHE Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for R&I in Europe based on a holistic approach for CH as an interdisciplinary field for its conservation, preservation and valorisation.
3. To gear the ARCHE SRIA towards innovation and concrete actions for creating and developing innovative value chains.
4. To set-up a purpose-built governance structure promoting involvement and commitment of partner institutions and ensuring efficient coordination.
5. To achieve the critical mass in terms of participating stakeholders and resources needed for the longterm sustainable operation of ARCHE.
ARCHE's first year has focused on understanding the context in which the future Alliance will operate and on preparing the ground for the new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
From a scientific point of view, the main outputs are following:
- a database containing three different typologies of R&I initiatives (R&I partnerships (ERA-NET and other P2P), R&I projects, and R&I programmes in Member States and Associated Countries), a set of EU priorities in the field of CH, and the results of the assessment of European R&I initiatives against EU priorities
- an examination of European ERA-Net Co-funding schemes and other P2P networks and projects, with a focus on their implementation effectiveness, impacts, missed opportunities and gaps, from which recommendations for future joint actions have stemmed.
In addition to these, the work also featured a comprehensive study on Foresight and a literature study of research strategies and future and emerging technologies, which looked at indications to different possible futures, and the implications these may have for heritage in the EU context.
The work within RP1 is therefore twofold: on one hand, the team managed to contribute scientifically to the field by conducting a detailed analysis on both existing literature and through involvement of relevant stakeholders in the field and gathering their views from a top-down perspective; on the other hand, the project managed to successfully engage through its workshops numerous key stakeholders that are crucial for the success of the future Alliance, thus laying a solid foundation for the next two years in which stakeholders will participate more intensively to the project's activities and set the stage for the desired impact that would lead to the Partnership.
From a scientific point of view, the main outputs are following:
- a database containing three different typologies of R&I initiatives (R&I partnerships (ERA-NET and other P2P), R&I projects, and R&I programmes in Member States and Associated Countries), a set of EU priorities in the field of CH, and the results of the assessment of European R&I initiatives against EU priorities
- an examination of European ERA-Net Co-funding schemes and other P2P networks and projects, with a focus on their implementation effectiveness, impacts, missed opportunities and gaps, from which recommendations for future joint actions have stemmed.
In addition to these, the work also featured a comprehensive study on Foresight and a literature study of research strategies and future and emerging technologies, which looked at indications to different possible futures, and the implications these may have for heritage in the EU context.
The work within RP1 is therefore twofold: on one hand, the team managed to contribute scientifically to the field by conducting a detailed analysis on both existing literature and through involvement of relevant stakeholders in the field and gathering their views from a top-down perspective; on the other hand, the project managed to successfully engage through its workshops numerous key stakeholders that are crucial for the success of the future Alliance, thus laying a solid foundation for the next two years in which stakeholders will participate more intensively to the project's activities and set the stage for the desired impact that would lead to the Partnership.
The basis for ARCHE's desired impacts is the following:
Outcome 1: Prepare a ground-breaking and novel coordination network on CH R&I policies and activities, including the arts and the cultural and creative sectors.
Outcome 2: Identify R&I domains with European added value that would justify future activities.
Outcome 3: Propose new ways to engage stakeholders, users of cultural heritage and the arts, social innovators, civil society and, in particular, the younger generation with cultural heritage and its role in shaping the perception of European societies as well as a European sense of belonging.
Outcome 4: Develop an open approach to cultural heritage and the arts, fostering curiosity for new developments and diversity, as well as emphasising their role in transmitting of knowledge and building a bridge from the past over the present to the future.
So far, the project has successfully fulfilled Outcome 2. In order to ensure further uptake and success, the results related to the R&I domains with European added value would need to be taken into account in relevant policy documents, on both European and national levels, and be allocated the corresponding resources for implementation. All the other Outcomes have been approached to one degree or another and will strive to be fulfilled within the following two years of the project.
Outcome 1: Prepare a ground-breaking and novel coordination network on CH R&I policies and activities, including the arts and the cultural and creative sectors.
Outcome 2: Identify R&I domains with European added value that would justify future activities.
Outcome 3: Propose new ways to engage stakeholders, users of cultural heritage and the arts, social innovators, civil society and, in particular, the younger generation with cultural heritage and its role in shaping the perception of European societies as well as a European sense of belonging.
Outcome 4: Develop an open approach to cultural heritage and the arts, fostering curiosity for new developments and diversity, as well as emphasising their role in transmitting of knowledge and building a bridge from the past over the present to the future.
So far, the project has successfully fulfilled Outcome 2. In order to ensure further uptake and success, the results related to the R&I domains with European added value would need to be taken into account in relevant policy documents, on both European and national levels, and be allocated the corresponding resources for implementation. All the other Outcomes have been approached to one degree or another and will strive to be fulfilled within the following two years of the project.