Building Data Collaborations for Digital Cultural Heritage

Level : Beginner to intermediate
Format : Introductory talks,  brainstorming
Cost : Free of charge, supported by the FOCUS ERA Chair

AIMS

The training will support the FOCUS team in identifying practical ways to build meaningful data collaborations for digital cultural heritage in Bulgaria. It will draw on international experience in cultural heritage data reuse, GLAM Labs, open innovation, stakeholder engagement and collaborative experimentation. The intended outcome is a concrete set of opportunities for FOCUS collaborations, pilots, training activities and stakeholder engagement.

BRAINSTORMING: PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS

• Which Bulgarian institutions and communities should IMI-BAS (and FOCUS) prioritise for early data collaborations?

• What types of digital cultural heritage data are most promising for reuse?

• What are the main barriers: technical, legal, organisational, skills-related or cultural?

• What forms of collaboration would be most realistic: pilot projects, training, residencies, data labs, student projects, policy dialogue or institutional agreements?

• How can FOCUS create value for both academic researchers and cultural heritage institutions?

• What would be a strong first demonstrator of open innovation in digital cultural heritage in Bulgaria?

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• A clearer understanding of international good practice in data collaborations for digital cultural heritage.

• A preliminary map of relevant Bulgarian stakeholders and institutional partners.

• A set of concrete collaboration opportunities aligned with the FOCUS research agenda.

• Initial ideas for pilots, training activities and stakeholder engagement.

• Recommendations on positioning IMI as a national and international hub for open innovation in digital heritage.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Colleagues from IMI-BAS interested in identifying, developing and strengthening stakeholder relations and open innovation.

Attendance is limited. For requests on available places, please email Ms Teodora Gandova at  office@openresearch.bg .

Programme

11:30-12:30
Lunch and informal introductions
Informal lunch hosted at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; opportunity for the FOCUS team and invited guests to meet and exchange initial ideas.

12:30-12:50
Welcome and framing of the training
Milena Dobreva / FOCUS team. Introduction to the objectives of the session, the role of data collaborations in the FOCUS research agenda, and the expected outcomes of the afternoon.

12:50-13:30
Data collaborations with cultural heritage institutions: opportunities and challenges
Gustavo Candela (University of Alicante) 
Institutional collaboration, trust-building, metadata, licensing, interoperability, institutional readiness, and sustainability beyond individual projects.

13:30-14:10
From GLAM Labs to open innovation: enabling reuse and experimentation
Mahendra Mahey (University of Tallinn)
GLAM Labs, reuse of digital collections, skills and infrastructure, creative and research experimentation, data sprints, residencies and challenge-based formats.

14:10-14:50
Open innovation models for digital cultural heritage
Alexandra Angeletaki (NTNU)
Cross-sector collaboration, co-creation, participatory approaches, stakeholder engagement, and moving from consultation to shared ownership of results.

14:50-15:10
Coffee break
Short break

15:10-16:10
Facilitated brainstorming: opportunities for Bulgaria
Discussion on priority institutions, promising data and collections, barriers to reuse, realistic collaboration formats, and potential first demonstrators.

16:10 - 16:30
Mapping concrete next steps
Identification of 3-5 collaboration themes, possible institutional partners, data or collections for experimentation, short-term actions and longer-term opportunities.

16:30-17:00
Wrap-up and conclusions
Summary of key insights, priority opportunities, and how the discussion will feed into the FOCUS research agenda, dissemination plan and stakeholder engagement strategy.

About the Facilitators

Alexandra Angeletaki, NTNU, Norway

Cultural and digital heritage researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). With a background in classical archaeology and long-standing experience in libraries, cultural heritage and open innovation, she works on digital participation, open innovation and collaborative models for GLAM institutions. A member of the International Advisory Board of FOCUS.

Gustavo Candela, University of Alicante, Spain

Computer scientist and digital cultural heritage researcher. His work focuses on collections as data, linked open data, semantic technologies and digital library infrastructures. He has contributed widely to research and practice on making cultural heritage collections more reusable, interoperable, and computationally accessible, including various initiatives in collaboration with Wikimedia and Wikidata.

Mahendra Mahey, University of Tallinn, Estonia

Specialises in GLAM Labs and collections reuse. He has worked internationally across education, cultural heritage, and innovation, and was instrumental in establishing British Library Labs and the international GLAM Labs community, and has spearheaded innovative work to scope an innovation lab at the Estonian National Museum. His work focuses on experimentation, remixing and creative reuse of digital collections.