New European Partnership Resilient Cultural Heritage

The FWF is a member of the European initiative RCH (Resilient Cultural Heritage), which aims to preserve Europe’s cultural legacy while also advancing climate neutrality in other sectors by promoting traditional and innovative methods, techniques, and materials resulting from research in the field of cultural heritage. A key element of the program is funding for transnational research projects; funding organizations from 25 countries will be participating in the first call.

Preserving European cultural heritage

The partnership, co-funded by the European Union, is intended to help adapt cultural heritage to the growing impacts of climate change through interdisciplinary research into how cultural heritage, the knowledge it embodies, and the communities associated with it can contribute to a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future.

The focus is on developing sustainable adaptation strategies, integrating cultural heritage into climate policy measures, and strengthening transnational cooperation. The program also aims to fill existing data gaps, establish monitoring systems, and transfer knowledge to society and the private sector to help create transformative solutions for climate resilience and sustainable development.

The partnership’s first call opens on October 26, 2026, and pre-proposals can be submitted until January 11, 2027. The call’s subtopics are:

• Risk and impact assessment and cultural heritage risk preparedness and management
• Managing the loss and damage of cultural heritage impacted by climate change-induced natural hazards
• Traditional, local and Indigenous knowledge systems and practices as resources and frameworks for societal resilience in the context of climate change
• Sustainable governance of the cultural heritage sector