CoHERE · Project

Digital Tools and Policy Models for Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe

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research.ncl.ac.uk

Imagine every country in Europe tells a slightly different story about what it means to be "European" — through museums, school textbooks, food traditions, even protest songs. CoHERE looked across 9 countries to map out how these stories are told and who gets left out. They built digital tools like interactive video maps and created practical guides for museums and policymakers to make heritage more inclusive. Think of it as a user-research project for European culture — figuring out what works, what divides people, and how to fix it.

By the numbers

European countries covered in comparative heritage research

consortium partners including universities, museums, and cultural network

total project deliverables produced

SME partner in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Museums, cultural institutions, and tourism operators across Europe face growing pressure to represent diverse identities and make heritage accessible to broader audiences — but lack practical, tested tools for doing so. Meanwhile, education publishers need inclusive, pan-European content that meets evolving cultural policy requirements, and there are few evidence-based resources available.

The solution

What was built

The project built Vid-Maps — innovative technological tools for interactive heritage transmission — along with policy models, curriculum instruments, and museum practice guides. Across 28 deliverables, the team produced practical instruments for promoting inclusive European identities through heritage, tested comparatively across 9 countries.

Audience

Who needs this

Museum operators and exhibition designers seeking inclusive display modelsCultural tourism companies building heritage-based visitor experiencesEdTech publishers developing pan-European history and social studies curriculaCity and regional cultural policy offices updating heritage strategiesHeritage site managers implementing digital visitor engagement tools

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Museums and Cultural Institutions

any

Target: Museum operators, heritage site managers, exhibition designers

If you are a museum or heritage site struggling with declining visitor engagement or pressure to represent diverse communities — this project developed practical models for museum display and heritage interpretation tested across 9 European countries. Their instruments for inclusive exhibition design can help you attract broader audiences and meet public funding requirements for diversity.

EdTech and Curriculum Development

SME

Target: Educational content publishers, e-learning platforms focused on humanities

If you are an education company developing history or social studies curricula and facing demands for more inclusive, pan-European content — this project created critically-informed curriculum models covering heritage across 9 countries. These ready-made educational instruments can reduce your content development costs and ensure alignment with European cultural policy directions.

Cultural Tourism and Experience Design

SME

Target: Tourism operators, destination marketing organizations, experience design agencies

If you are a tourism company looking to create heritage-based experiences that resonate with diverse European visitors — this project built technological tools like Vid-Maps for transmitting heritage and European identities. These interactive digital tools can differentiate your offerings and connect visitors to local heritage in engaging, multilingual ways.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or use the tools developed by CoHERE?

The project was publicly funded under Horizon 2020 as a Research and Innovation Action, so core outputs like policy models and curriculum instruments are likely available as open-access resources. The Vid-Maps tool and other digital outputs may be accessible through the project website. Specific licensing terms would need to be discussed with the University of Newcastle upon Tyne as coordinator.

Can these tools work at industrial scale for a large museum network or tourism chain?

The project tested its approaches comparatively across 9 countries with 12 consortium partners, including 2 museums and a cultural network. This cross-national validation gives reasonable confidence for European-wide application. However, scaling the digital tools like Vid-Maps to enterprise-level deployment would likely require further technical development.

Who owns the intellectual property from this project?

As a Horizon 2020 RIA project coordinated by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, IP ownership typically stays with the consortium partners who generated it. The 12-partner consortium includes universities, museums, and 1 SME across 9 countries, so rights may be distributed. Contact the coordinator for specific licensing arrangements.

Are there regulatory or policy drivers that make these outputs valuable?

Yes. EU cultural policy increasingly requires heritage institutions to demonstrate inclusivity and represent diverse European identities. The project directly developed instruments intended to promote socially-inclusive attitudes, aligning with EU funding criteria for museums and cultural organizations seeking public grants.

What concrete deliverables came out of this project?

The project produced 28 deliverables in total. The key technological output is Vid-Maps — innovative tools for interactive heritage transmission. They also developed models for museum practice, heritage policy, and school curricula, all designed to promote reflection on European identities across diverse communities.

How long would it take to implement these tools in our organization?

The project ran from 2016 to 2019 and is now closed, meaning all outputs are finalized. For policy models and curriculum instruments, implementation depends on your organization's adoption process. The Vid-Maps digital tool would need assessment for compatibility with your existing digital infrastructure. Based on available project data, no deployment timeline estimates were provided.

Consortium

Who built it

The CoHERE consortium of 12 partners across 9 countries is overwhelmingly academic, with 8 universities, 1 research organization, 2 other partners (museums/cultural network), and just 1 industry partner — giving an industry ratio of only 8%. This means the outputs are research-strong but commercially unproven. The geographic spread across Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, and the UK provides genuine pan-European validation. For a business considering these tools, the low industry involvement signals that significant adaptation work would be needed to move from research outputs to market-ready products. The coordinator, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, is the primary contact for any commercialization discussions.

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNECoordinator · UK
AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
ISTANBUL BILGI UNIVERSITESIparticipant · TR
ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINONparticipant · EL
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Designparticipant · DK
STICHTING NATIONAAL MUSEUM VAN WERELDCULTURENparticipant · NL
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNAparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAMparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) — reach out to the heritage studies or digital humanities department for commercial licensing inquiries

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

SciTransfer can connect you directly with the CoHERE research team to explore licensing the Vid-Maps technology or adapting their heritage policy models for your organization.

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