20 Oct 2026
European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage launches first call
The European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (RCH), a major new initiative co-funded by the European Union and by Member States/Assiciated Countries, was officially launched on 29 September 2026 in Marseille, France. The hybrid launch event, hosted by the Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MUCEM) and Aix-Marseille University (AMU), brought together more than 300 participants in person and over 1,000 online, including researchers, heritage professionals, policymakers and representatives of European and international organisations.
As climate change increasingly threatens cultural heritage through extreme weather events and rising sea levels, the launch marks the start of an ambitious ten-year initiative. Bringing together more than 90 partners from 30 countries in Europe and beyond, RCH will strengthen research and collaboration at the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change.
Over the next decade, the Partnership will unite research organisations and universities, public authorities, research funders, cultural heritage institutions, professional networks and civil society organisations to support interdisciplinary, transnational research. It will fund research projects, build capacity and create new opportunities for collaboration.
RCH aims not only to help cultural heritage adapt to the growing impacts of climate change, but also to explore how heritage, the knowledge it carries and the communities connected to it can contribute to more sustainable, resilient and just futures.
The partners have agreed to launch the Partnership’s first Joint Transnational Call 2027 on 26 November 2026. Entitled “Foundations for climate-resilient cultural heritage: Assessing and managing impact and risk, dealing with damage and loss”, the call will support collaborative and innovative research projects designed to strengthen societal resilience through cultural heritage in Europe and beyond.
This first Joint Call, involving 28 funders, is intentionally broad in terms of the range of issues addressed. The following sub-themes are included:
- Risk and impact assessment and cultural heritage risk preparedness and management
- Managing the loss and damage of cultural heritage impacted by climate change-induced natural hazards
- Traditional, local and Indigenous knowledge systems and practices as resources and frameworks for societal resilience in the context of climate change
- Sustainable governance of the cultural heritage sector
An information webinar will be held on 17 November 2026 from 14:00 to 16:00 CET.
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