Building Data Collaborations for Digital Cultural Heritage: FOCUS Training Explores New Opportunities for Collaboration

The FOCUS ERA Chair proj ect at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IMI-BAS) , hosted the training event “Building Data Collaborations for Digital Cultural Heritage” at the Ivan Evstatiev Geshov Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The free training brought together researchers, cultural heritage professionals and innovation experts to discuss practical approaches for developing meaningful data collaborations and supporting the reuse of digital cultural heritage resources in Bulgaria. The event combined introductory talks with a facilitated brainstorming session focused on identifying future collaboration opportunities for the FOCUS project.

The programme featured contributions from international experts in digital cultural heritage and open innovation: Milena Dobreva (University of Strathclyde), Gustavo Candela (University of Alicante, Spain), Mahendra Mahey (University of Tallinn, Estonia), and Alexandra Angeletaki (Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU, Norway and member of the Advisory Board). The speakers shared experience from areas including cultural heritage data reuse, GLAM Labs, stakeholder engagement, interoperability and collaborative innovation models.

During the discussion, participants explored several key topics, including methodology as a challenge in building sustainable data collaborations, the identification of potential institutional partners and stakeholder groups for the FOCUS project , and the question of which cultural heritage data offer the greatest potential for reuse .

The brainstorming also addressed opportunities for pilot projects, training activities and stakeholder engagement, while considering the technical, legal, organisational and cultural factors that influence successful digital heritage collaborations.

The outcomes of the session will support the FOCUS research agenda by helping to identify relevant partners, promising data resources and future opportunities for open innovation in digital cultural heritage. The event represents an important step towards strengthening cooperation between research organisations and cultural heritage institutions in Bulgaria and internationally.