Mission and vision - E-RIHS

Tangible cultural and natural heritage form an essential part of Europe’s identity. Their study, documentation, and preservation represent a global challenge for science and society alike. In recent decades, the need to integrate technical, natural, and humanities disciplines into heritage research has led to the emergence of a new interdisciplinary field known as heritage science.

The European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science, E-RIHS, was established to support and advance this field. It promotes research, conservation, documentation, and management of heritage assets by fostering collaboration among researchers from diverse disciplines. E-RIHS aims to integrate Europe’s leading research facilities into a cohesive infrastructure, helping to prevent fragmentation, duplication of efforts, and the isolation of smaller research groups—challenges that threaten the progress of heritage science across Europe.

Built on a strong European tradition and previous EU-funded initiatives such as EU-ARTECH, CHARISMA, IPERION CH, and ARIADNE, E-RIHS leverages synergies between academia, research centers, museums, and cultural institutions. The research community has reached the maturity needed to establish a permanent European infrastructure with broad societal and economic impact.

E-RIHS provides integrated access to expert knowledge, advanced technologies, and standardized data services. Since 2016, it has been part of the ESFRI Roadmap as the only infrastructure project in the domain of social and cultural innovation. It bridges humanities research with natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and communication technologies.

The infrastructure operates through four specialized platforms: ARCHLAB (access to archival data and collections), DIGILAB (digital tools and databases), FIXLAB (large-scale analytical facilities), and MOLAB (mobile laboratories for on-site research). Research proposals are submitted through a unified entry point and evaluated by an independent international panel based on excellence and scientific merit.

The preparatory phase of E-RIHS was supported by the E-RIHS PP project under Horizon 2020, which laid the groundwork for establishing the legal entity E-RIHS ERIC. This was followed by IPERION HS, a project focused on creating national nodes and completing the legal and organizational steps necessary for launching the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), the legal framework under which E-RIHS will operate.

Together, these efforts mark a significant step toward a sustainable and integrated European approach to heritage science—one that connects research, innovation, and preservation across disciplines and borders.