Promoter - Information technology, research and innovation

Project profile

RICHES will research answers to these questions through the work of the ten partners from 6 EU countries and Turkey, aiming at the following goals:
● To develop and establish the conceptual framework of the research, defining terms, setting up networks and developing new understandings of CH-related copyright and IPR in the digital age;
● To investigate the context of change, to study the forces that apply to CH in this context, to design the scenarios in which CH is preserved, made and performed and to foresee the methods of digital transmission of CH across audiences and generations;
● To identify the directions to be taken to maximize the impact of CH on social and community development within the identified context of changes;
● To devise instruments and to elaborate methodologies for knowledge transfer, developing innovative skills, creating new jobs and exploiting the potential of CH through digital technologies in order to foster the economic growth of Europe;
● To tell stories related to Mediated and Unmediated CH, in which the results of the research are given practical application, illustrated and validated with end-users, through concrete case studies;
● To produce evidence-based policy recommendations, foresight studies, toolkits for building awareness platforms, best practice guidelines for establishing cooperation initiatives.

Action plan
The project lasts for 30 months and consists of 8 work-packages. The work-packages are:
WP1 – Project Management
WP2 – Establishing the conceptual framework
WP3 – Understanding the context of change for tangible and intangible CH
WP4 – Role of CH on EU social development
WP5 – Impact of CH on EU economic development
WP6 – Case studies
WP7 – Strategies, policies and road-mapping
WP8 – Communication and Dissemination

Research activities
The RICHES research programme is based on two major assumptions:
1. digital change strongly influences the whole value chain of CH, from curation and preservation to access and participation, to cultural events and transmission to next generations;
2. there is need to shorten the distance between people and CH, to put CH at the heart of the EU governments' development policy priorities, particularly in the current economic circumstances.
RICHES research aims to understand the context of change in which CH is held, preserved, curated and promoted and to explore how development and growth can be stimulated by digital technologies and co-creation sessions, focusing on: a) Museums and libraries adopting or considering digitization and digital services for preservation, access and transmission; b) Living media as privileged domains for young people to get involved in CH; c) Performance-based CH and the effects of new digital infrastructures; d)Public administrations adapting landscapes and monuments and re-using historical buildings to generate sustainable models, improve quality of life and foster cultural tourism; e) Transferring traditional skills into innovative production methods for the creative industry.
A rich dissemination programme including two major international conferences will ensure the project has maximum outreach and impact.

User communities
The RICHES outcomes are targeted towards: cultural ministries of member states within and beyond the project partnership; regional, national and state authorities; CH organisations; AHSS (Arts, Humanities and Social-Sciences) experts and researchers; public administrations; SMEs working within the digital cultural economy; industrial associations and organisations dealing with creative industries; people.