Project description
Tools to transform libraries into cultural heritage key contributors
The uneven digital capabilities of libraries hinder their participation in the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), leaving many local and regional libraries disconnected and under-resourced. The EU-funded POLARIS project will transform libraries into key contributors to ECCCH by establishing an ecosystem of tools and training. The project will include three main pilot projects: the British Library’s digitisation of 750 000 volumes, the University of Athens focusing on musicological heritage, and the Malatestiana Library of Cesena showcasing Medieval manuscripts. The Library Innovation Support Hub will provide ongoing training and build a Europe-wide community. Feedback will shape the ECCCH and EU digital policy, establishing libraries as key contributors to innovation and cultural heritage in Europe.
Objective
POLARIS tackles a critical challenge for European cultural heritage: the uneven digital capacity of libraries to engage with the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH). While leading national institutions already operate advanced infrastructures, thousands of local and regional libraries remain disconnected, under-resourced, and excluded from Europe’s digital transformation. POLARIS bridges this divide by turning libraries into active co-creators, validators, and long-term contributors to the ECCCH.
To achieve this, POLARIS will establish a cloud-ready ecosystem of tools, services, and training. Three flagship pilots will demonstrate large-scale, diverse use cases: the British Library (750,000 digitised volumes), the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (musicological heritage via the POLYMNIA collection), and the Malatestiana Library in Cesena (Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts). These will be expanded by at least eight cascade-funded projects targeting smaller and underrepresented institutions, ensuring broad and inclusive validation.
At the core of POLARIS’s exploitation strategy is the Library Innovation Support Hub, which will become the ECCCH’s long-term onboarding and capacity-building service under IFLA’s stewardship. The Hub will provide training, mentoring, and access to the Reusability Toolkit, while fostering a pan-European community of practice. Structured feedback loops and a Policy White Paper will ensure that lessons from pilots and open calls feed directly into ECCCH development, EU digital policy, and future governance.
By combining advanced technical validation, bottom-up experimentation, and policy influence, POLARIS ensures that the ECCCH evolves as a robust, inclusive, and sustainable infrastructure. The project embeds libraries as strategic actors in Europe’s Digital Decade, narrowing the digital divide and strengthening cultural heritage as a driver of innovation, inclusion, and European identity.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.2 - Culture, creativity and inclusive society
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.2.2 - Cultural Heritage
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL2-2025-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
152 33 ATHINA
Greece
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.