Digital Europe and the data space for cultural heritage
The Digital Europe Programme is an EU funding programme focused on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens and public administrations. With an overall budget of over €7.9 billion, Digital Europe aims to shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy, in line with the EU’s ambitions defined in the Communication - 2030 Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade and Policy Programme - Path to the Digital Decade.
The common European data space for cultural heritage - and the work which the Europeana Initiative does as its steward - is funded under Digital Europe to accelerate the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector and foster accessibility and reuse of cultural collections across Europe.
The data space - building on the achievements and 15 years experience of the Europeana Initiative as a networked organisation - has been deployed since 2022. In its first two years, it has supported advances in technology, including in 3D and Artificial Intelligence (AI); aggregated, enriched, promoted and communicated high-quality digital data; reached diverse audiences and provided them with ways and incentives to reuse these data; and supported digital environments that are inclusive, collaborative and jointly owned. Find out more.
Make your views heard
In the context of the mid-term evaluation of the Digital Europe Programme, the European Commission is requesting feedback on the programme’s benefits, how it responds to digital transformation needs, and how it could be improved. In parallel, the European Commission and the Member States are preparing the 2025 - 2027 Digital Europe Work Plan, which will outline funding priorities for the coming years.
At the Europeana Initiative, we are working closely with colleagues across Europe to advocate for the role and needs of culture in the programme, specifically through the data space for cultural heritage. Read our official response to the consultation.
We now need your voice to help shape these decisions! We urge you to give feedback by 20 September, to share your views and voice to advocate for the importance of Europe’s cultural heritage, and for adequate and tailored support to our sector and the data space.
We invite you to either directly copy the statement provided below, to translate that statement into your own language, or to draw inspiration from the Europeana Initiative's official response to the consultation and add your own text.
I support the prioritisation of culture and cultural heritage under the Digital Europe Programme. I urge the European Commission to increase funding for the common European data space for cultural heritage, the only earmarked cultural project under the Digital Europe Programme, and one of the few operational data spaces to date.
I believe the contribution of the data space to the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector, and the reuse of cultural heritage, is and will continue to be crucial in the coming years. This work is also vital to advance European global digital leadership and sovereignty, as it builds digital capacity in cultural heritage professionals and users of digital cultural heritage alike.
Additionally, I call for the revision of the co-financing terms assigned to data space support projects. Instead of the current 50%, participating institutions should only be required to contribute a maximum of 25%. The existing 50% co-funding requirement is unsustainable, especially for small and medium heritage institutions, which make up the majority of the sector.
I support the Europeana Initiative’s official response to the funding needs for the data space (available here: https://pro.europeana.eu/post/europeana-initiative-s-official-response-to-digital-europe-programme-consultation).
How to respond to the call for evidence
Select the ‘Give feedback’ button under the section ‘Call for evidence’
Create an account if you do not already have one, or log in with your Facebook or Google accounts.
Select the language of your feedback
Submit your feedback either directly copying the statement provided above, or drawing inspiration from it, and in the language of your choice.
How to share more detailed feedback
As part of the interim evaluation of Digital Europe, the European Commission has also launched a more detailed Public consultation asking for views on the priorities and perceived impact of the programme.
We encourage you to answer the questionnaire, and to do it as fully as you can.
When completing it, please keep in mind that the common European data space for cultural heritage falls under the Digital Europe programme Specific Objective 2: Artificial intelligence (SO2). Among others, the questionnaire invites you to reflect on how relevant the programme's Specific Objectives are to current and future challenges and needs.
The questionnaire also invites participants to reflect on the impacts and added value of Digital Europe across different areas. Although culture and cultural heritage are not explicitly mentioned, you can always add your views in the open comment sections. Feel free to draw inspiration from the statement above also in this consultation.
Thank you!
By contributing to the interim evaluation of Digital Europe, you can help to shape the future of the data space for cultural heritage - and of Europe’s culture. Thank you for sharing your views and support!
Find out more about the consultation and respond to the Call for Evidenceand the questionnaire before 20 September. Please also share this information with colleagues and friends, and get their support for Europe’s culture!