The Netherlands is investing in European collaboration on preservation of cultural heritage. One of the instruments for this is the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPICH), a collaboration of European countries. Together they programme and fund international research in the field of tangible, intangible and digital heritage. The aim of this collaboration is to develop and share knowledge about the nature, significance, preservation and use of heritage and its value to society.
The Netherlands is one of the nineteen participating countries. Many research projects have been funded since the JPICH was launched in 2010. The Netherlands has been involved in sixteen of these projects. A detailed overview of all the projects awarded is available here.
Incentive for research into societal challenges
The European Commission created Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) with the aim of promoting research into major societal challenges and, by doing so, improving social resilience. There are also JPI networks for other topics, covering themes such as food, healthcare, urban development, water, and climate. The various JPIs sometimes collaborate, as did JPICH and JPI Climate in writing a White Paper on the major challenges concerning heritage and climate change, and how research can contribute to addressing these challenges.
Funding and programming international research
The participating countries of the JPICH work according to the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). Calls for research are formulated on that basis. These calls are competitions for research into a specific theme, which academics from various countries can participate in jointly. In addition to this, the JPICH develops other activities, such as workshops, the Heritage Research Hub (an online research platform) as well as other resources to boost the impact of research. By doing so, the participating European countries are tackling the challenges together and are using public resources effectively in the process.
To continue to pursue and accelerate these objectives, the JPICH took the initiative in forming the Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage, which is due to launch in 2026.
What is the role of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands?
The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the Dutch Research Council are implementing this collaboration on behalf of the Netherlands. Together, they contribute to the organisation, strategy and work procedures at the JPICH. A broad-based national consultation panel comprising heritage experts advises them.
The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands participates in the JPICH on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and thereby aims to strengthen the research and professional expertise in the field of cultural heritage.
