Training

HERITΛGE celebrated a record-breaking milestone in 2024, training over 1,000 heritage caretakers in a single year. Participants engaged in a wide range of programs, including three-day workshops conducted online and in person, two annual summer schools focusing on digital tools and community engagement, and specialized training tailored to specific regions, topics and organizations. These included programs on Street Art in The Gambia (which also produced a new mural for the country’s National Centre for the Arts and Culture), Heritage interpretation in Rwanda, Project Management for US Heritage Managers, and an introduction to Fundraising and Project Management in Iraq.

Heritage Threatened by Conflict, Natural Disasters, and Climate Change

HERITΛGE continued its mission to protect heritage at risk worldwide, strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones. In Ukraine, the Digital Museum project that was funded by the Creative Europe’s Culture Helps initiative, trained museum professionals to use digital tools, ensuring operational continuity and community access during wartime. Simultaneously, the two-year Architecture in Times of War: The Ukrainian Model  initiative – delivered in cooperation with the Kharkiv School of Architecture and Skeiron and the support of the US Embassy in Kyiv –  is equipping students and educators with digital skills to document, preserve, and restore architectural heritage.

In Türkiye, HERITΛGE published comprehensive reports documenting historic sites affected by the February 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquakes. These reports include protection recommendations and advocate for enhanced cultural heritage recovery in affected provinces. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, a new project launched to safeguard the early Buddhist heritage of the Swat Valley, an area under threat from conflict, climate change, and rapid development. In Yemen, efforts continued to preserve the unique earthen architecture of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site struggling under the weight of a decade-long civil war.

HERITΛGE in Africa

The HerMaP Africa initiative, generously supported by the Mellon Foundation, has delivered significant impact. Over 75 small heritage projects received funding, alongside the awarding of several fellowships and the training of more than 370 heritage managers in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Rwanda. New partnerships were also established to further these efforts. In The Gambia, HERITΛGE’s ongoing HerMaP Gambia initiative, co-funded by the European Union, provided training to enhance the country’s culture and tourism sectors. The program also facilitated a parliamentary delegation study tour in Greece and partnered with the NCAC to launch the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Register, a project supported by UNESCO.

Giving Heritage Managers New Tools

HERITΛGE made strides in empowering heritage managers with innovative tools and practices. The EU-funded SHIFT project advanced its work to make heritage more accessible and inclusive, with a consortium meeting and project presentation held in Athens. The AHEAD initiative, co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe program, introduced seminars (now available online) and launched a community-based artistic project in Crete, with similar activities planned for Italy and Spain. HERITΛGE also announced the launch of EMPATHS, a project designed to promote participatory heritage interpretation through new tools and training resources.

Creating Networks, Connecting Professionals

Collaboration and community-building remained central to HERITΛGE’s mission in 2024. The organization continued developing Greece’s Living Heritage Network, supported by the Ministry of Culture, with HERITΛGE actively contributing to its digital and physical infrastructure, member recruitment, and communications. Additionally, the newly established AHEAD Network brings together heritage managers and community members who share a vision of audience engagement and participation.

Knowledge Sharing

HERITΛGE emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing through active participation in global events and publications. Director Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis delivered a keynote at the Choc Des Legendes Conference in Ghana, held under the auspices of the country’s First Lady. The organization also sponsored PastForward 2024, the annual conference of the US National Trust for Historic Preservation. Other highlights included workshops and presentations at the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists and the ReImagining Public Collections conference in Hungary.

HERITΛGE contributed to a Horizon Europe-funded policy brief on digital cultural heritage and shared expertise through webinars, seminars, and public lectures. Notable online resources include audience development webinars from the AHEAD initiative and webinars on architectural preservation in Ukraine.

1st Global Staff Summit

Reflecting the growth in HERITΛGE’s activities and team, the organization hosted its inaugural Global Staff Summit in September. This online event brought together staff working in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas , marking the beginning of an annual tradition to foster collaboration and alignment across our expanding network.

HERITΛGE is proud to be part of the SHIFT project, collaborating with 12 partners, including heritage organizations, universities, research centers, and private businesses. Together, we aim to make cultural heritage more accessible, inclusive, and engaging by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and haptics.

This year, the project has delivered two important publications, both available for free download:

Inclusion in Museums: A Collection of Best Practices
Produced by the Balkan Museum Network (BMN), this e-book showcases best practices for fostering inclusion in museums across the Balkans. The publication features insights from heritage experts on implementing inclusive strategies, highlighting successes, identifying challenges, and outlining steps for future progress. An audiobook version will be available soon.

Promoting Inclusive Innovation in Digital Technologies for Heritage Preservation
SHIFT, along with four sister projects funded under Horizon Europe’s 2021 call for proposals (Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society), has released a collaborative policy brief. This document provides actionable recommendations for policymakers to address expertise gaps, enhance digital education, and promote inclusion within the cultural heritage sector. Download the policy brief to learn more.

SHIFT is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, Cluster 2: “Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society,” which focuses on innovative research in European cultural heritage and the cultural and creative industries.

Stay tuned for more SHIFT updates and developments in 2025!

The HERITΛGE team was very happy to host our colleagues from the SHIFT project Consortium in Athens last week to discuss progress made and the next steps the consortium will take in its work to make cultural heritage more accessible, inclusive and appealing for all. The consortiun also presented the project which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, to a select group of heritage professionals, policy makers, and stakeholders on Friday May 24th, during an event at the Athenian Museum.

HERITΛGE’s director, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis, opened the event, underlining the significance of the project: “We are very proud of the Organization’s participation in the SHIFT program and happy to be able to present here in Athens the first samples of the partner’s work with the aim of making cultural heritage more accessible, inclusive and attractive,” Kyriakidis said. 

Razvan Purcarea from project coordinator SIMAVI briefly presented the project with help from representatives from Queen Mary University of London, the Technical University of Munich, the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), and the technology company audEERING, all members of the SHIFT consortium. During the event, Dr. Angelos Giokas from the Athena Research Center gave a brief presentation of PREMIERE, a project for accessibility and inclusion in the performing arts, which is also funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.

Learn more about SHIFT: https://shift-europe.eu/ 

 

 

 

Join us for a webinar to celebrate this year’s European Heritage Days organized by SHIFT, an international project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Program to make cultural heritage more inclusive and accessible through technology.

SHIFT’s (MetamorphoSis of cultural Heritage Into augmented hypermedia assets For enhanced accessibiliTy and inclusion)online event will explore the innovative tools being developed by the SHIFT Consortium to improve the accessibility, inclusivity, and appeal of cultural heritage content. It will be held on September 18th, 11 AM CET.

SHIFT is one of a cluster of six projects funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Program under Cluster 2 Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society: Preserving and enhancing cultural heritage with advanced digital technologies. SHIFT supports the adoption of digital transformation strategies and the uptake of tools within the creative and cultural industries (CCI).

The webinar is addressed to cultural heritage professionals, researchers, and the public. To attend, participants can register by filling out this form.

SHIFT PROJECT: The SHIFT Consortium’s 13 partners are leveraging advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to improve cultural heritage access for European citizens experiencing sensory impairment. They aim to enrich the experience of interacting with cultural assets through visual, auditory, and sensory modalities, e.g., using haptics. SHIFT is also developing tools and methodologies to enable contemporary description of cultural assets through language evolution models. HERITΛGE is proud to be a part of the SHIFT Consortium.  To find out more about SHIFT, please watch this introductory video.

European Cultural Heritage Days: Every September, the signatory States to the European Cultural Convention take part in the European Heritage Days – a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The action’s aims are, among others, to raise the awareness of European citizens to the richness and cultural diversity of Europe and invite responses to the social, political and economic challenges it faces.

More about SHIFT: https://shift-europe.eu/