ZYDOWSKI INSTYTUT HISTORYCZNY IM. EMANUELA RINGELBLUMA

Their core work

The Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute (ZIH) is Poland's leading institution for the study, documentation, and preservation of Jewish history and Holocaust heritage. Based in Warsaw, it maintains extensive archives — including the UNESCO-listed Ringelblum Archive — and provides digital access to historical collections for researchers worldwide. Within H2020, it contributes archival expertise and primary source materials to the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), a pan-European effort to integrate dispersed Holocaust-related archives into a unified, accessible research platform.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ZIH's H2020 involvement shows a single, deepening commitment rather than a shift in focus. From the initial EHRI project (2015–2019), which built the foundational research infrastructure, they moved into EHRI-PP (2019–2023), a preparatory phase to establish EHRI as a permanent European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). The latest phase, EHRI-3 (2020–2025), continues expanding services and integration. The trajectory is one of institutional maturation — from project participant to long-term infrastructure partner.

ZIH is moving from project-based participation toward becoming a permanent node in Europe's Holocaust research infrastructure, suggesting stable, long-term partnership potential for anyone in the digital humanities and cultural heritage space.

How they like to work

ZIH operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for a specialized content-providing institution within a large research infrastructure. With 26 unique partners across 18 countries, they work comfortably in large, multinational consortia. Their loyalty to the EHRI consortium across three successive project phases signals reliability and deep institutional commitment — they are the kind of partner who stays for the long haul rather than dipping in and out.

Through the EHRI consortium, ZIH collaborates with 26 partners across 18 countries, forming a dense pan-European network of memorial institutions, archives, and universities. Their geographic reach spans Western and Eastern Europe, with particularly strong ties to major Holocaust research centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Israel-linked institutions, and the UK.

What sets them apart

ZIH holds a unique position as the custodian of the Ringelblum Archive — one of the most significant primary source collections on the Warsaw Ghetto, inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register. This makes them an irreplaceable partner for any project requiring access to original Holocaust documentation from occupied Poland. For consortium builders in digital humanities or cultural heritage, ZIH brings both archival authority and a decade of experience integrating collections into pan-European research platforms.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EHRI
  The founding phase of Europe's Holocaust Research Infrastructure — a landmark project connecting fragmented archives across the continent into a single access point.
• EHRI-PP
  Preparatory phase for establishing EHRI as a permanent European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), signaling the transition from project to institution.
• EHRI-3
  The latest and largest-funded phase for ZIH (EUR 70,455), extending EHRI services through 2025 and deepening digital integration of archival holdings.