‘Cultural Heritage’ has been included as a priority in the European Union’s proposed €80 billion Horizon 2020 funding programme from 2014.
Previously, cultural heritage had been omitted from the funding proposals, which remain subject to the agreement of the overall European Union budget in December.
MEP Prof. Dr. Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines, said: ‘We have achieved this result due to the active and continuous support of the cultural heritage community through their work, letters and recommendations.
We will continue to strongly support these amendments until the final vote in December.’
Responding to the news, Collections Trust’s CEO Nick Poole commented: ‘This is a tremendous step forward, and a real recognition of the contribution the cultural heritage community makes to securing Europe’s position as a global leader in research and innovation.
‘We are not yet out of the woods, though. In order to secure this very significant financial opportunity for our museums, galleries, libraries and archives, we have to hope that negotiations over the EU budget will be concluded quickly.’
The inclusion of cultural heritage in Horizon 2020 takes the form of a series of amendments focussing on the contribution of culture to research excellence, social cohesion and growth.
A key section reads: ‘Accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage is needed for the vitality of engagement within and across European cultures by also considering the importance of cultural heritage as a strong economic driver in a post-industrial economy and its contribution to sustainable economic growth.’
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