ARCHIVES GENERALES DU ROYAUME ET ARCHIVES DE L'ETAT DANS LES PROVINCES

Their core work

The Belgian State Archives (Rijksarchief) is Belgium's national archival institution responsible for preserving, cataloguing, and providing access to historical government records and private archives. Within H2020, they contribute specifically to the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), bringing their expertise in archival science, digitisation of historical documents, and cross-border access to dispersed Holocaust-related collections. Their role centers on making fragmented archival sources discoverable and interoperable across European memory institutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The organisation's H2020 involvement shows deepening commitment to a single long-term initiative rather than diversification. From the initial EHRI integration phase (2015-2019), they moved into the Preparatory Phase (EHRI-PP, 2019-2023) aimed at establishing EHRI as a permanent European research infrastructure (ERIC), and then into EHRI-3 (2020-2025) which continues operational integration. The trajectory is one of institutional embedding — moving from project-based participation toward becoming a permanent node in a pan-European archival infrastructure.

They are transitioning from project-based participation to becoming a permanent partner in EHRI as it evolves into a standing European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as a national archive contributing domain-specific holdings to a larger pan-European effort. They operate in large consortia (26 unique partners across 18 countries), reflecting the distributed nature of Holocaust archives across Europe. Their loyalty to the EHRI consortium across all three project phases suggests they are a reliable, long-term institutional partner rather than an opportunistic participant.

Connected to 26 partners across 18 countries through the EHRI consortium, which includes major Holocaust memorial institutions, national archives, and research centres across Europe and Israel. Their network is deeply European with a strong focus on memory institutions.

What sets them apart

As Belgium's national archive, they hold unique WWII-era governmental and administrative records relevant to Holocaust research that no other institution can provide. Their sustained commitment across all three EHRI phases makes them a trusted infrastructure node. For consortium builders in cultural heritage or digital humanities, they offer both archival authority and practical experience in cross-border data interoperability for sensitive historical collections.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EHRI
  The flagship project with the largest funding share (EUR 433,772), establishing the initial European Holocaust Research Infrastructure connecting dispersed archives.
• EHRI-PP
  The Preparatory Phase project working toward making EHRI a permanent European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), marking the transition from project to institution.