From: European cultural heritage research community
To: European Parliament and European Council

We, the undersigned, would like to plead strongly for the inclusion of cultural heritage research in the 8th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, HORIZON 2020.

In the proposal of the European Commission for HORIZON 2020 cultural heritage has been omitted completely, thus taking away all the funds previously available for research in this field. This decision has serious consequences, since the whole basis for the conservation of cultural heritage in Europe will be eliminated, probably for many years to come.

Due to continuous EU funding of cultural heritage research since 1986 almost 200 projects have been successfully implemented internationally, making Europe the world leader in this sector. As an example of one of the outstanding projects within the current Framework Programme we mention here “Climate for Culture” (Project No. 226973, period: 2009-2014), which assesses the damage potential of climate change on our cultural heritage, its socio-economic impact as well as the possibilities of mitigation. For the first time ever, high resolution climate evolution scenarios will be coupled with whole building simulation models in order to identify the most urgent risks for specific regions and to develop mitigation strategies.

The research programmes funded in the last decades have built up a unique Europe-wide network for interlinking professional know-how in urgent matters of common interest. Only through research and innovation is it possible to meet the complex challenges involved in protecting our cultural heritage. Research funding provided within the EU Framework Programmes is essential for Europe, as it guarantees the development and implementation of state-of-the-art methods that are urgently required all over Europe not only for the conservation of irreplaceable cultural assets but also for their nurture. Without research, such assets cannot be cared for in the most sustainable manner, leading to the loss of a significant part of our cultural identity and an important economic factor that amounts to 3.3% GDP in Europe and a turnover of 338 billion EUR p.a. from tourism.

Thus, the exclusion of cultural heritage research from HORIZON 2020 would be a disastrous step backwards for Europe as a cultural entity as well an extremely negative signal to the rest of the world.

The signatories of this letter request the EU to acknowledge fully its responsibilities now and in the future, to put cultural heritage research back high on its agenda and to address the topic appropriately in the next Framework Programme.

In the name of the signatories