Barcelona foundation bridging cultural heritage policy, social inclusion, and digital technologies like AR and computer vision for inclusive heritage experiences.
Interarts is a Barcelona-based foundation specializing in international cultural cooperation, with a focus on cultural heritage policy, identity, and social inclusion through arts and culture. They bring expertise in designing impact assessment frameworks for heritage projects and in applying digital technologies (augmented reality, computer vision) to make cultural experiences more accessible to marginalized communities. Their work bridges cultural policy research with practical tools for measuring social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of heritage interventions.
SoPHIA focused on building a social platform for heritage impact assessment covering social, cultural, environmental, and economic dimensions; CULTURALBASE addressed cultural heritage and European identities.
MEMEX applied computer vision, augmented reality, and human-computer interfaces to create inclusive digital storytelling experiences for marginalized communities.
NETCHER built a network and digital platform for cultural heritage enhancing and rebuilding, addressing heritage security concerns.
MEMEX deployed AR, computer vision, and audience development techniques — signaling a move toward technology-driven cultural participation tools.
Interarts began its H2020 participation in 2015 with a policy-oriented Coordination and Support Action (CULTURALBASE) focused on cultural heritage and European identity — essentially a think-tank contribution. From 2019 onward, the work shifted markedly toward applied digital tools (AR, computer vision in MEMEX), security dimensions of heritage (NETCHER), and structured impact measurement (SoPHIA). The trajectory shows a clear move from abstract cultural policy toward measurable, technology-enabled, and socially inclusive heritage interventions.
Interarts is moving from policy advisory work toward hands-on deployment of digital tools and structured impact frameworks for cultural heritage, making them increasingly relevant for technology-meets-culture consortia.
Interarts operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, positioning themselves as a contributing specialist rather than a project leader. With 31 unique partners across 14 countries from just 4 projects, they work in moderately large consortia and maintain a wide, non-repetitive network. This suggests they are valued for their specific cultural expertise and are comfortable integrating into diverse, multi-country teams.
Interarts has collaborated with 31 distinct partners across 14 countries in just 4 projects, indicating broad European reach and low partner overlap between projects. Their network spans well beyond Southern Europe despite being Barcelona-based.
Interarts occupies a rare niche at the intersection of cultural policy, social inclusion, and emerging digital technologies — a combination few organizations can credibly claim. Their strength lies in translating cultural heritage goals into measurable impact frameworks while also experimenting with AR and computer vision for audience engagement. For consortium builders, they offer the cultural and social science grounding that technology-heavy projects often lack.
