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…

In the past few months the Textile Museum of Prato has worked hard to design, develop and populate its future e-shop. We are happy to announce that the museum is about to release it!In our last diary entry dedicated to the Textile Museum of Prato we have indeed described the bilateral co-creation workshops held by its team to co-create and co-select locally and ethically sourced, sustainability-oriented quality items for the e-shop. Artisans, designer and local companies have been involved in th…

Another day another RECHARGE Keyword. Discover what we mean by Sustainability within the context of cultural heritage institutions.What happens when a project ends, when the results are captured, and the value is measured? Sustainability is key to understanding the resonance and resilience of a business plan, and above all its role in the growth of the institution. The United Nations defined sustainability as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation…

One of the words that RECHARGE members use more often is Value. What does Value mean in the RECHARGE context? Let’s unpack all its nuances.In general terms, Value means a location in a specific categorical scale (such as price, temperature, or size). Value refers to the preference based on socially constructed, dynamic, variable, and multiple notions that inform our understanding of goods and services and therefore inform our choice. To put it simply: value defines what we do or like.According t…

An overview of the steps the team at the Estonian Maritime Museum Living Lab took to make the project take off and fly!The Estonian Maritime Museum's participatory business model is focused on museums as co-creators in the collaborative innovation process to develop digital education solutions. The museum decided to further develop a digital educational solution using Augmented Reality (AR) to enrich both the museum and the classroom environment through the use of the Reality Maker AR platform.T…

Here is a taste of the willow workshops held by the Hunt Museum as part of their Living Lab. These workshops served to connect people with an ancient heritage craft, using a natural material native to Ireland. They would do this while learning new skills, and learning about biodiversity – and then taking home a beautiful objects they made themselves!

On August 17, a part of the RECHARGE team went on tour to Limerick, to take part in The Hunt Museum RECHARGE Living Labs business model testing process: a willow weaving workshop.The workshop was structured as an all-day drop-in session, where people could come, register and take part in the activity experienced willow artist Lynn Kirkham devised for the audience: weaving a reproduction of a significant object part of the museum collection: a Mhuc Dhubh, a fantastic animal - a black pig - that h…

The 22nd International Conference on Cultural Economics, organized by the Association for Cultural Economics International (ACEI) on a biennial basis, is consolidated as the main academic forum in the field of Cultural Economics.This year, the event took place in Bloomington, Indiana, US, with the Centre for Cultural Affairs of Indiana University as the local organizer. The scientific program was coordinated by Luis César Herrero, President-Elect of the ACEI and head UVA team in the RECHARGE pro…

Participation is one of the key components of RECHARGE’s practices aimed at involving communities in defining the most viable and valuable business model for a specific institution. Participation refers to taking an active part in a project, an activity, or a process in which the participants’ contribution has an influence on the process and/or the outcomes of the entire endeavour. Participation can take a form of various levels of involvement — from small short-term contributions, through large…

EMM’s third Living Lab workshop took place in Laulasmaa, a peaceful seaside resort near Tallinn, on 17th and 18th August. The workshop was called Empowering Learning with AR, and it focussed teachers' involvement in the work of the museum. EMM set out to chart the needs of teachers and collectively generate ideas for an AR (augmented reality) solution that could bring museum content into the classroom in captivating and educationally effective ways. The goal of the EMM Living Lab pilot is for mu…

On June 15, EMM held their second LivingLabs workshop, this time in the studios of the VIVITA Creativity Accelerator for youth. The workshop was carried out in cooperation with VIVITA. Children and young adults between the ages 11-23 were invited along as co-creators (and eventual end users) of the designed pilot product. Other workshop participants included GLAM sector representatives and three digital innovators, companies that engage in extended reality solutions.The aim of the second LL work…

Between May and June, the team at Museo del Tessuto di Prato held a series of bilateral co-creation workshops to engage more people in the definition and implementation of the proposed business model the museum is working on in the context of the RECHARGE project. The meetings saw the participation of seven artisans, designers and companies working with upcycling, circular materials and sustainable production processes, engaged with creative recovery and reuse of discarded fabric, with social su…

Thoughts after the field trip carried out by Sound & Vision's RECHARGE team-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------At Sound & Vision's we believe that understanding the ins and outs of the daily work of cultural heritage spaces, such as museums, is important to better develop the work and the team contributions to the project. So, on the 5th of April 2023 we set out on our fir…

The concept of ‘business model’ has more haters than lovers, especially in the cultural sector (we analysed some of the reasons here). Still, looking at how it has been framed by scholars, it may resonate with many institutions and people. Within RECHARGE, we aim at a clearer and fairer use of the terms, and this is why we want to define it for CHIs, in all its nuances.In general, a business model is defined as a (logical) story that explains who the customers of an organisation are and what the…

A guest post by Ance Skolniece and Maisie Nijveen, students at Erasmus University Rotterdam, reporting on the Concept Harmonisation workshop the project held in March to align the activities and views of our researchers and partners.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hi there, we are Ance and Maisie, two students participating in the Arts & Culture Honours Programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam. For our Honours project, …

Finding and testing innovative business models for cultural institutions is what we do at RECHARGE, with our Living Labs as core functioning units. What is Museo del Tessuto di Prato working on and how is the institution establishing its own ad-hoc procedures?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MdT's position stems out of a firm belief: museums need new revenue streams and they also need to ser…

RECHARGE wants to individuate, study and develop sustainable business models for cultural institutions, and our three Living Labs - The Hunt, Museo del Tessuto di Prato and Estonian Maritime Museum - are the very first places where these models are shaped and trialled. Time to learn more about them - first off: The Hunt Museum.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The participatory business model…

The first co-creation workshop held at the Living Lab of the Estonian Maritime Museum took place on Thursday 11 May at the historic Tallinn Seaplane Harbour. It saw the participation of 20 people: museum professionals, librarians and representatives of tech companies we want to involve in the project.The event was moderated by Ragnar Siil from Creativity Lab. First, Ragnar introduced the RECHARGE project and went into details explaining the concept of our core operating system, the Living Labs. …

RECHARGE stemmed out from an urgency: understanding how business models can be developed that fit the cultural heritage sector, to help CH institutions shape their activities and plans to retain their central role for the social and cultural life of global and local communities. For that to happen, the concept of ‘business model’ needed to be understood and embraced.As we started brainstorming, the conversations within the consortium and also with other professionals in the sector made clear how…

As we reported on this diary a few weeks ago, on March 15, The Museo del Tessuto di Prato held its very first co-creation workshop in the context of RECHARGE Living Labs.To document the workshop, the MdT team produced a video, which we are thrilled to present as one of the outcomes the Prato Living Lab. The video offers a sneak-peak of the mythologies we are using to engage communities and stakeholders and produce something meaningful together. Moreover, and very importantly, the video allows ev…

As we have reported in our RECHARGE Diary, during the co-creation workshop on the 10th February at The Hunt three ideas were discussed. The one that has become the most feasible for the Living Lab is related to the use of green spaces in Limerick City and County, including the Hunt Museum Garden, to create sustainable sculptures made from native Irish Willow, which will enhance local biodiversity and serve as pollinators. This is how the project Weaving Willow was born. With a very exciting coll…

At the turn of February and March 2023, Centrum Cyfrowe Foundation, in cooperation with the three Living Labs carried out 6 focus group interviews to investigate and analyse key motivations behind participatory involvement in Cultural Heritage Institutions’ activities, making a case to better understand their potential to constitute relations and partnerships with relevant stakeholders.The RECHARGE project is vastly focused on the participatory models and as such it was our imperative to not onl…

On March 20th, a team from Centrum Cyfrowe in Poland visited The Hunt Museum to meet the community in Limerick and learn about participation.The fifteen participants came from different backgrounds and age groups: museum docents and museum interns; corporate partners involved with the RECHARGE Living Lab; corporates who have not worked directly with the museum before; artists that have worked/collaborated with the museum before and representatives of the local community who regularly collaborate…

On March 15, The Museo del Tessuto di Prato held its very first co-creation workshop in the context of RECHARGE Living Labs.The workshop saw more than 30 people participating, from museum professionals, artists and craftspeople, educational institutions, and representatives of all the professional communities relevant for the museum’s Participatory Business Model, which is constantly updated according to the institution’s needs and considerations.After an introduction on the project and explanat…

Co-creation of value starts from meeting up, sharing practices and being honest about the needs different institutions and stakeholders in general, might have, to come up with a plan to reach common goals. Understanding the importance of working together is at the basis of what we do in our Living Labs. So, we asked members of the corporates that took part in the Co-Creation workshop at the Hunt Museum on February 10. Here is what they fed back to us:EDCThe Recharge workshop was a great opportun…

Living Labs are at the core of the RECHARGE project, where cultural heritage institutions experiment and co-create with their network of stakeholders. Within the context of RECHARGE, we plan to have 9 museums setting up Living Labs to engage with different communities and innovate their business models in order to create and capture value, collaborating with the different stakeholders involved in their ecosystem.Mapping out the scholarship related to collaborative practices in the CH sector, we …

A guest post by Humanli, social impact company based in Limerick, reflecting on the first co-creation workshop developed with The Hunt Museum in the context of RECHARGE. On the 10th of February 2023, The Hunt Museum, organised a co-creation workshop to kick off the activities of the Living Labs connected to the RECHARGE project. Humanli was approached by Jill Cousins, CEO and Director of the Hunt Museum, to assist with the enrolment of corporates and businesses for the project. Humanli's experti…

On February 10th, the Captain’s room at The Hunt Museum hosted the very first onsite Co-Creation Workshop for RECHARGE, with the aim to further develop the model with identified local CHIs and Corporate partners.A long and fruitful day kicked off with an introduction on the RECHARGE project, clarifying the role The Hunt and Humanli play in the consortium, illustrating examples of co-creative actions to inspire and let the creative juices flow. After the introduction, the actual workshop began, w…

On the 1st of February the Hunt Museum hosted an online participatory session, the first of its kind within the RECHARGE project. The Hunt Museum’s primary objective throughout RECHARGE is the development of new participatory business models for museums, using the living labs methodology. By doing this we aim to develop longer term corporate social responsibility action, in conjunction with local community and museum needs. These new participatory business models are required to allow museums to…

Welcome to the RECHARGE Diary - here we will document the project by recording experiences, reflecting on activities and explaining what we do and how. All to get people as excited as we are - and hopefully involve as many more individuals and institutions as possible to RECHARGE the cultural sector.On 17-18 October 2022 we kicked off the project in Rotterdam, at the Debatpodium Arminius, and in the months that followed a very energetic start we have been busy researching, discussing planning, a…