The RECHARGE Academy is a pioneering initiative that bridges participatory practices and sustainable business models to revitalise the cultural sector. By fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and community engagement, the Academy paves the way for innovative, resilient cultural organisations that deliver lasting societal value.We invite cultural heritage and creative sector professionals to register here for the chance to participate in an immersive four-day programme designed to explore innov…

Over the past months, our Living Labs have been hard at work, sharing insights and refining impact measures. Meeting online once a month, we’ve come together to discuss progress, exchange ideas, and tackle specific topics crucial to our shared mission.On October 30th, we engaged in a productive discussion on Key Performance Indicators, exploring how to tailor these metrics to the unique needs of each Living Lab. The conversations highlighted the importance of embracing qualitative data, such as …

The Prato Textile Museum Living Lab, as part of the RECHARGE project, designed a museum e-shop based on collaboration with local artisans and young designers to promote sustainable products and crafts. After more than a year, the participatory approach consisted of four key steps:Step 1 was a Co-Ideation Workshop, held in March 2023, to involve local communities in designing the museum's e-shop strategy.Step 2, which ran from May to December 2023, focused on co-creating sustainable products with…

Úna Hussey from The Hunt Museum explains how the Living Lab is evolving, expanding its reach and putting to test, once again, the CSR Community Business Model Iteration ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We are pleased to announce that the Hunt Museum has entered a new chapter in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) journey, as we embark on the second iteration of our CSR communi…

RECHARGE presented an overview of the work from the past 2 years at the Italian cultural economics and management international workshop entitled Rethinking Culture and Creativity, organised by the Universities of Chieti-Pescara, Torino (department of economics), Macerata, Firenze, Catania (department of humanities), and Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (department of economics). The title of this year’s workshop was Behavioural Impact of Cultural Production, which took place 3-4 October 2024 at the Un…

The LIVING LABS FRONTIERS conference, held from September 25-27, 2024, in Timisoara, Romania, brought together a diverse group of international innovators, public officials, corporate leaders, and academics to explore the evolving role of Living Labs in driving systemic change. Organized by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), this flagship event was an inspiring platform for collaboration, discussion, and exchanging ideas on how to shape the future through societal engagement.As part of…

From September 4-6, 2024, the 11th European Workshop on Applied Cultural Economics took place at the María Zambrano Campus of the University of Valladolid, Segovia.The interesting event brought together scholars from both Europe and other parts of the world, who presented around 50 research papers in the field of Cultural Economics, through parallel sessions full of insights and significant thematic and methodological advances in our area of study.Our partner member from University of Valladolid…

This September marked an important milestone for the Recharge Consortium and the next generation of Recharge Living Labs (LLs). Representatives from the six institutions involved in the Recharge Next program gathered for their first in-person meeting in Warsaw.Hosted by Centrum Cyfrowe, the event offered a unique opportunity to align strategies, share insights, and strengthen connections between the new LLs and the broader Recharge community. Here’s an overview of the key activities and outcomes…

Back on August 8 2024 the RECHARGE team which included the Hunt Museum, Platoniq, and Centrum Cyfrowe shared their experiences within the RECHARGE project and facilitated a workshop. Here is a recap of the event by Nadia NadesanRECHARGE introduces an innovative approach that redefines the way we develop business models and engage in philanthropy. Instead of positioning GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) as intermediaries between their audiences and funders, RECHARGE encourages t…

The last institution we are introducing as part of RECHARGE NEXT comes from Hilversum with a mission: make local history more relevant and accessible.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the institution: Hilversum Public Library and Hilversum Heritage HouseBased in: Hilversum, the Library at ‘s Gravelandsweg 55 (until…