Project facts

Duration: 2023-11-01 - 2025-10-25
Project coordinator: Melting Pro
Project consortium: Melting Pro, HERITΛGE, University of Deusto, Impact Valley, Parco Archeologico Ostia Antica
Funding bodies: European Union - Creative Europe
Subject areas: Archaeology, Community involvement, Evaluation, Heritage Management, Innovation, Monuments - Sites, Museums, Tangible Heritage, Technologies - Scientific processes
Contact: hello@aheadeurope.eu
Budget: 196,513.00
Website: https://aheadeurope.eu/

Presentation

Cultural heritage is a crucial economic and social resource for EU countries. However, most cultural heritage institutions underperform financially in generating economic sustainability and local growth, and socially in widening access and participation to new audiences and local communities.

AHEAD ‘s (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) vision is to increase the understanding that if we apply human-centered approaches, learning by doing, impact and data-driven methodologies in the cultural heritage sector, we can innovate the working practices and empower the sector to become more relevant for our communities, more financially sustainable and able to create opportunities for social, cultural and economic growth.

Impacts & Results

AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) impact vision is to increase the understanding that if we apply human-centered approaches, learning by doing, impact, and data-driven methodologies in the CH sector, we can innovate the working practices and empower the sector to become more relevant for our communities, more financially sustainable and able to create opportunities for social, cultural and economic growth. Results:

1) a capacity-building program to enhance the entrepreneurial and professional development of CH professionals in Audience Development, Marketing & Promotion, and Business Models based on the quadruple bottom line (Financial, Cultural, Social, Environmental impact);

2) a new AHEAD model, a well-structured practice of participatory audience development, that is piloted with CH organizations from three countries Spain, Italy, and Greece;

3) an Impact and Innovation Strategy to upscale the methodology and accelerate its adoption in CH institutions that need to overcome systemic barriers in management and participation at EU and international level.

AHEAD develops a new model tailored to the CH sub-sector to respond to its specific needs and challenges, involving also the collaboration of creative artists, thus innovating and expanding it on a larger scale of impact.