The European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH) is organising its kick-off event on 29 September 2026 through the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine (Foundation for Heritage Science) in its capacity as Partnership Coordinator, together with Mucem – Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée.

The Marseille event will mark the start of a decade-long initiative focused on improving the structuring and coordination of research at the nexus of cultural heritage and climate change, across Europe but with a global perspective. Throughout the next ten years, 90 partners from 30 countries in Europe and beyond will launch transnational joint calls for research projects, which will be accompanied by a whole ecosystem of activities to support and amplify the impact of the projects (such as capacity building, impact monitoring or networking opportunities).  The Partnership’s work will be backed by a total budget of 215M EUR, out of which 65M EUR represent the support of the European Commission.

The event will feature high-level interventions from representatives of the European Commission – both the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) – and French national and local institutions, as well as dynamic sessions focusing on interdisciplinary collaborations, translating research results into policy or working across different sectors, scales and national contexts. All the sessions will feature researchers and professionals from both the cultural heritage and climate sciences field in a mutually enriching dialogue. The keynotes, each opening a different thematic session, will be delivered by Siri Veland, human geographer, senior researcher at the NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Norway; Piero Baglioni, Professor at the Department of Chemistry & CSGI, University of Florence, Italy; and Małgorzata Ćwikła, Senior Researcher at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Center for Arts Management, and in the “Culture for the Planet” Alliance; Convenor of ISO/TC 354/SC 1/WG 1 “Cultural Organizations”.

The event’s conclusions will be delivered by early career researchers and professionals as a way of also advancing the frame for the involvement of future generations in transnational research activities. The day will also be marked by artistic moments and visits of Mucem’s exhibitions.

Why should you attend this event?

  • Explore the upcoming (funding) opportunities offered by the RCH Partnership
  • Discover the perspectives for conducting research at the intersection of cultural heritage and the climate crisis
  • Connect with the lively community around the RCH Partnership and discover your future project partners
  • Engage in debates at the intersection of science, policy and practice

The programme is still subject to modifications but the preliminary version can be consulted here. Registrations can be made here.

The event takes place at Mucem – Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée 1 Esplanade J4, 13002 Marseille and online.