Erasmus University Rotterdam receives € 2.9 million in funding via the European Union’s HORIZON Europe funding scheme, the key funding programme for research and innovation within the EU, to reinvigorate community participation as added economic value for cultural heritage institutions across Europe. The RECHARGE project will facilitate cultural heritage institutions to diversify their funding through a replicable and sustainable participatory business model.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of social values and culture in connecting people in times of global crisis. It has also revealed the huge power cultural heritage institutions have to reach communities through new avenues of engagement. Cultural heritage institutions, such as museums, create social, cultural and economic value by enabling participation and co-creation. But the major challenge is in capitalising on this value by integrating it into the organisation.
The RECHARGE project activates new and existing communities, networks and relationships around cultural heritage institutions to engage in participatory management through cultural heritage Living Labs. These labs will test and devise innovative ways to harness resources fostering value creation and integration to ensure sustainable future business models. The project introduces a holistic approach where participation is seen as the missing element in sustainable financing.
Dr. Trilce Navarrete Hernandez, a specialist in the economic and historic aspects of digital heritage and the RECHARGE project leader, says:
"This project will stimulate museums’ market position post pandemic within their communities, developing new services that respond to local needs and that emerge from social co-creation. Results will be adaptable across cultural heritage institutions in Europe, large and small, urban and rural, holding any type of collection, and having any level of business models skills. We are thrilled to support the work of museums by providing the analysis and evidence to inform strategic decision making."
In conjunction with Erasmus, the team consists of partners from Poland (Fundacja Centrum Cyfrowe), Spain (Universidad de Valladolid), the Netherlands (Stichting Nederlands Intituut Vorbeeld en Geluid), Italy (European Fashion Heritage Association and Fondazione Museo Del Tessuto di Prato), Estonia (Creativity Lab OÜ and Shitasutus Eesti Meremuuseum) and Ireland (The Hunt Museum). The advisory board includes members Diane Drubay (We are Museums, FR), Simon Tanner (UCL, UK), Monika Hagedorn Saupe (board member of ICOM-Europe, DE), Tere Badia (Culture Action Europe, BE) and Merete Sanderhoff (National Gallery of Denmark, DK).
The RECHARGE project was one of 29 other projects considered for funding related to the specific subcall, three of which were granted. The proposal was highly ranked among the three, receiving scores well above the threshold for approval. The consortium is led by the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication). Since the beginning of 2022, Erasmus has been granted funding for several other European projects, in which they are the lead.
The RECHARGE project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation actions under grant agreement No 101061233.
- Researcher
