(A compilation of EU documents and websites)1
Cultural heritage research is present in European Framework Programmes since 1986, with a particular emphasis on preservation research. A peak of activities was reached during the 5th Framework Programme when the Key Action "The City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage" was set-up.
(ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/eesd/docs/ka4_fp5_projects.pdf) As early as 2000 the Commission was highlighting (in its eEurope policy) the importance of digitising our cultural heritage. The Digital Library became one of the flagship initiatives of the i2010 information society policy framework. But a lot of the work behind the scenes came from projects funded through the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) which developed the tools, technologies and methodologies for digitising our cultural assets and making them accessible online. Under FP6 (2002-2006), 25 research projects on digital cultural and scientific resources have been funded. This work continues today under the Digital Agenda. Several of the planned actions under this policy framework support the application of ICT to preserve and share our cultural heritage.
Within the 7th Framework Programme the following research activities are prioritised:
Environment (including climate change) theme: research on preservation, impact of pollution, impact of climate change, advanced diagnostic and conservation technologies;
Social Sciences and Humanities theme exploring European identity, diversities and commonalities;
ICT research programmes related to digitisation of libraries, archives and museum collections and to the use of ICT technologies for cultural tourism,
Research Infrastructures developing research on artwork materials and their deterioration and optimising the use of infrastructures through a coordinated program of transnational access, joint research and networking activities.
Moreover different ERA-NETS are especially dedicated to cultural heritage issues:
ensuring an overview of cultural heritage research throughout Europe ("NET-HERITAGE" project);
undertaking research on cultural heritage and memory ("HERA"project);
developing sustainable practices for tourism ("ERNEST" project);
developing and strenghtening coordination in the sector of digital heritage ("DC-NET" project).
As a result of the ERA-NET ‘NET-HERITAGE’ project an overview of existing research programmes relating to cultural heritage in the EU and associated countries was being obtained. 13 key research programmes in 10 countries (BG, DE, FR, IT, MT, PL, RO, SI, ES and UK) have been identified. Three of those focus mainly on cultural heritage (BG, FR, UK) and seven include the topic in wider research programmes (DE, IT, MT, PL, RO, SI and ES).
1 http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=cultural
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:106:0018:0019:en:PDF http://register.consilium.europa.eu/doc/srv?l=EN&f=ST%2013960%202010%20INIT http://www.jpi-culturalheritage.eu./
http://www.jpi-culturalheritage.eu/2014/02/strategic-research-agenda-sra/
http://www.netheritage.eu/index.asp http://www.heritageportal.eu/
Some other countries not involved in the ‘NET-HERITAGE’ project also have programmes where cultural heritage research is mentioned or embedded in broader programmes (AT, CY, CZ, DK, EL, LT, NL).
Actions at intergovernmental level COST and EUREKA are intergovernmental programmes that actively contribute to networking, research and innovation in the cultural field. Within COST, the Cultural Heritage Interest Group currently supports various networks, such as ‘EnviArt’ and ‘WoodCultHer’, which focus on the environmental protection of tangible cultural heritage.
A new European Initiative on Cultural Heritage Research
The Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH) is an EU-level initiative, aimed at the greater coordination of research resources across Member States and Associated Countries. The 2008 Commission Communication defines Joint Programming as a process that involves identifying a Common Vision, defining a Strategic Research Agenda for research activities and implementing this Strategic Research Agenda through a Joint Programming Initiative
This innovative and collaborative research initiative on Cultural Heritage will streamline and coordinate national research programmes to enable more efficient and effective use of scarce financial resources, exploit synergies and avoid duplication. 17 Member States and 8 Observer Countries participating.
It was approved by the European Council as one of the three initial JPI proposals in December 2009 and launched in January 2010. The JPICH set up the Governance structure, which included the Governing Board and Executive Board, appointed the Scientific Committee and the Advisory Board, which is composed of international organisations including UNESCO, ICCROMM, ICOM, Council of Europe ICOMOS, EUROPA NOSTRA and the European Technology Platform for Construction (ECTP).
The Vision document was produced in 2010 as a starting point.(www.jpi-culturalheritage.eu.
Key priority areas were defined by the Strategic Research Agenda. This Strategic Research Agenda, the first of its kind for European heritage, is the result of an extensive consultation and development process that saw national consultation panels convened in 16 European member states (Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and UK) in order to provide feedback on what they saw as heritage research priorities both nationally and internationally. (http://www.heritageportal.eu/About-Us/A-Strategic-Research-Agenda-for-Cultural-Heritage-in-Europe/#sthash.kO8U8sV5.dpuf)
Developing a Reflective Society: Identity and perception; Values; Ethics;
Connecting People with Heritage: Protection through use; Sustainability; Security; Heritage information;
Creating Knowledge: Linking information; Change; Methods of measurements; Integrating risks;
and Safeguarding our Cultural Heritage Resource: Conservation; Adaptation and mitigation;
In addition to identifying key priorities for cultural heritage research, the Strategic Research Agenda lists specific research areas and topics for development.
The NCPs identified a number of priorities that are superior in their influence over and above individual drivers. These overarching elements that are essential for the new research landscape to be successful include Capability and Capacity, Management Strategies, Knowledge Sharing and Research Infrastructure.
The two drivers/themes judged to have the greatest impact were Tourism and Transport, and Digitisation of Society. The other two drivers that make up the 'Top 4 were Social Capital, Mutuality and Volunteering, and Global Migration and Mobility. Others: demography, globalisation, Internet of Things, Big Data, climate change, learning, gamification, security technologies, philanthropy, crowd funding, etc.
Four Strategic Considerations for Cultural Heritage Research Policy
1. Empowerment: how can cultural heritage research support empowerment and democratisation within so-ciety? There are two distinct dimensions to the social empowerment question. The first is giving people per-mission to act - by removing constraints e.g. allowing people to access artefacts/conservation. The second is enabling ownership in the research process.
2. Co-creation: how can policy be designed in a way that genuinely uses the knowledge and capacity dis-tributed in society? Engagement in this sense is not dis¬seminating the results of (closed) research processes
after they have finished but rather co-creating research and knowledge through a distributed and participatory model of enquiry and practice.
3. Importance of values: how can the crucial role of values be recognised? Without the societal recognition and valuing of cultural heritage, discussions on options for cultural heritage research will be largely futile.
Cul¬tural heritage research needs to address the intrinsic value of cultural heritage in society generally.
4. Valuing knowledge and the allocation of resources:
What new methods of evaluating research are needed? Evaluation of research outputs and decisions on research funding need to be done on the basis of producing net new content/knowledge rather than simply looking at citations.