Recap of the Academy event from Ilze Vitola, RECHARGE team member from Erasmus University Rotterdam.In early June, we hosted the RECHARGE Academy in sunny Rotterdam, gathering 20 cultural heritage professionals from across Europe for a packed four-day journey through participatory business models. Our mission? To rethink how cultural organisations can thrive sustainably while remaining rooted in their communities.Fuelled by countless cups of Dutch coffee and a generous supply of chocolate, we ex…

The recent LibrarIN International Conference, held in Alcalá de Henares–Madrid, brought together professionals and researchers from across Europe to explore the theme of “Innovation and value co-creation for a new generation of libraries.” As a sister initiative of RECHARGE, LibrarIN shares a commitment to rethinking cultural institutions through participatory governance and sustainable financial models, with a particular focus on the evolving role of libraries in contemporary society.Among the …

How can augmented reality transform the way we experience history? At the Estonian Maritime Museum, the ReCharge Living Lab is bridging the gap between the past and the future. Through an innovative AR-powered museum class, students are immersing themselves in maritime history like never before.Watch the video to see how technology is making learning more interactive, engaging, and fun.

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…

In the round of RECHARGE NEXT introduction, it's the turn of The Serfenta Association and its labour of love: a passionate, long-term commitment to craft-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the institution: The Serfenta AssociationBased in: Poland, Cieszyn, Srebrna 1 StreetMission: Serfenta is one of the three UNESCO-accre…

Another day, another RECHARGE NEXT introduction: today it's time to talk about the Museum of Architecture and Design from Slovenia, and its project on heritage, architecture and community engagement-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the institution: Museum of Architecture and DesignBased in: Rusjanov trg 7, 1000 Ljubljan…

The third institution part of RECHARGE NEXT is Pinacoteca e Museo Civico di Palazzo Minucci Solaini, introducing their business model to raise awareness on the heritage of Volterra and its surroundings-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the institution: Pinacoteca e Museo Civico di Palazzo Minucci Solaini Based in: Via de…

Introducing Mart, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto and the project for their Living Lab focused on involving younger generations-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the organisation: MART, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto Based in: Rovereto, ItalyMission: Founded in 1987 as an operational agency of the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Mart,…

A series of publications introducing the institutions forming the second generation Living Labs and their projects - here is the kick off with KÖME-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the organisation: Kulturális Örökség Menedzserek Egyesülete / KÖME or Association of Cultural Heritage Managers / KÖME. The name of the project proposed for RECHARGE is "People's Theatre"Based in: Budapest, HungaryMission: N…

On April 18-21, the 1st ACEI China Academic Forum and 4th China-Spain International Seminar on Cultural Economy and Policy took place at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT) in Xi'an, China. The University of Valladolid (UVa) and Crentrum Cyfrowe Foundation (FCC), members of our consortium, attended to present the RECHARGE project.The academic event was widely attended by researchers and students, as well as by members of Shangai Jiao Tong University, the Asian Studies Center …

After a very successful campaign disseminating RECHARGE NEXT, the call for proposal to widen our network, we are proud to introduce the six institutions working on setting up the next generation Recharge Living Labs.We received 40 application, coming from across Europe and from different kinds of cultural institutions. Receiving such a high number of applications made us believe in the project even more: each submission represents the effort, expertise, and passion, making the process of vetting…

In February this year, together with the launch of RECHARGE NEXT, the call for proposals that attracted 40 institutions to apply to establish 6 new generation living labs, we presented the first version of the RECHARGE PLAYBOOK, developed thanks to the work of our 3 first generation RECHARGE Living Labs. The RECHARGE PLAYBOOK is a methodological tool with clear and easy-to-follow instructions on how to facilitate the co-creation of Participatory Cultural Business Models. The 6 new generation liv…

We are thrilled to invite participation in two engaging surveys that delve into the worlds of museum shops and the vibrant community of makers. We need valuable insights to contribute to our understanding of these realms and develop strategies to RECHARGE the sector according to the needs and desires of the community.Both surveys are conducted by Erasmus University Rotterdam as part of RECHARGE. The first one is directed to Museum Shop users: for those who love exploring museum shops and discove…

In January, Isabel Beirigo and Kelly Hazejager from NISV attended the first FARO Convention International Conference on ‘Transforming through Co-Creation: Participatory Heritage Practices Tackling Urban Challenges’. Here they hosted a workshop on participatory cultural business models, sharing learning from the project RECHARGE. In this blog they share their conference highlights. FARO CONVENTION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCEThe Netherlands government recently signed the FARO Convention, or the Conve…

Design, craftsmanship, sustainability and participation are the key pillars of the newly opened Textile Museum e-shop.The Museo del Tessuto e-commerce is indeed a project dedicated to design, craftsmanship, sustainability, and the promotion of the city of Prato and Tuscany. The creative communities involved include artisans, designers and small businesses - mainly local - who make sustainability their mission. The e-shop features i) products co-created by MdT, designers and artisans, these produ…

How can a museum become a bridge between different areas of knowledge, from history and culture to technology? The Estonian Maritime Museum wants to respond to this western, and is developing a business model that will help them connect with both the education and technological sectors.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In cultural heritage institutions (CHI), there is a need for various serv…