The ECHOES project will establish the core infrastructure and governance model of the European Collaborative Cloud for cultural heritage.
The European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science (ECHOES) project will establish the infrastructure and legal entity for the European Collaborative Cloud for cultural heritage (ECCCH). The Cloud is envisaged as a shared platform for heritage professionals, scientists and researchers to access data, innovative scientific and training resources and advanced digital tools in collaboration with and for the cultural heritage communities.
ECHOES is funded under the Horizon Europe programme, Cluster 2 “Culture, creativity and inclusive society” and has been awarded 24 million EUR for five years of work (2024 - 2029).
ECHOES will be implemented by a consortium of 51 European partners, led by CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique), together with CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) and FSP (Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine). Europeana Foundation as a full partner and the Europeana Network Association as affiliated partner will jointly represent the interest and common vision of the Europeana Initiative. Other consortium partners include research organisations, networks representing cultural heritage communities (museums, libraries, archives), universities and private sector entities.
ECHOES promotes a holistic approach to digital transformation, encouraging the co-construction of knowledge. ECHOES will foster the emergence of Digital Commons: a digital environment to collectively analyse and enrich cultural heritage objects, facts and phenomena, where actors —human or AI— can construct their own interpretations and thus contribute to the joint construction of knowledge. The notion of Digital Commons is anchored on the principles of Open Access and Open Science. It encourages participation by all, cooperative work and systematic sharing of knowledge and tools.
Thanks to a transparent governance approach and the application of open science principles, ECHOES will also integrate other European and national projects within the Cloud.
The common European data space for cultural heritage and the Collaborative European Cloud for Cultural Heritage, while distinct, complement each other, especially in terms of data-sharing, tools and services, and capacity building. As the steward of the data space, the Europeana Initiative's involvement in ECHOES will ensure that complementary aspects are strengthened and expanded.
The data space is the main entry point for accessing and reusing heritage data by educators, creatives, citizens and other data spaces. The Cloud is a collaborative workspace for heritage professionals to access data, tools and services to advance heritage science. Thanks to interoperable frameworks, data from the data space will flow securely to the Cloud for professionals to work with, while research outputs and data products generated in the Cloud will be accessible through the data space for reuse within and across sectors. To enable exchange, their tools and services will be based on Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) principles.
The data space and the Cloud will also join forces to support capacity building in the sector, fostering a more inclusive, sustainable and unified digital heritage environment. The Europeana Initiative's involvement in ECHOES will ensure that these complementary aspects are strengthened and expanded.
The Europeana Initiative is delighted to be represented in the consortium creating the Collaborative European Cloud for Cultural Heritage, with the Europeana Foundation as full partner and the Europeana Network Association as affiliated partner, together with 49 other European partners.
In a digital environment for cultural heritage that is getting more complex, rich and diverse, only by joining forces can we achieve our common goal: a digital heritage environment that is more inclusive, unified and jointly owned. Read on to discover how cooperation between the data space and the future European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage will benefit our sector.
Together with other partners, we are excited to respond to a European Commission call to establish a European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. Our joint proposal is called European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science (ECHOES). Read on to discover what ECHOES intends to do and how you can express your interest in its services if our proposal is selected for funding.
Discover the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage - an initiative by the European Commission - find out how it relates to and complements the common European data space for cultural heritage, and join an upcoming event which further explores this initiative.
