Last week, the CHARTER Alliance’s working package leaders and co-leaders met with the Expert Advisory Board for the first time. This meeting marked our official introduction to start our collaboration. The meeting included a brief presentation of the project, an introduction by each member of the Advisory Board and the introduction of each working package and its main tasks by the leaders and co-leaders. Thereafter, there was a question and answers section that discussed the CHARTER progress, methods and next steps.

The advisors raised very constructive matters, for which we are very grateful. We look forward to creating a dynamic, positive relationship with our advisors over the lifetime of the project and beyond. We will meet twice a year but will be in close contact between meetings. All of the CHARTER partners look forward to our first face-to-face meeting with our advisors and each other, which we hope will happen later this year.

Process of selection

The CHARTER Expert Advisory Board was selected after a process of nominating potential advisors and evaluating each one against certain parameters. First, to be a representative of one of the five areas of cultural heritage knowledge central to the project: safeguarding and preservation; crafts and traditional knowledge; dissemination and communication; knowledge; planning and management.

Second, according to the areas of expertise related to the Evidence in the Erasmus+ Programme: policy reports on cultural heritage; framework for action on cultural heritage; declaration on cooperation of advancing digitisation; Voices of Culture and Open Method of Coordination reports; competences for access to conservation-restoration profession.

Third, by considering the profiles of nominees within Europe in relation to research, policy-making, education; work on educational, occupational and/or economic frameworks, and the need to include expertise in relation to anticipated skills requirements (blue, green, digital).

The Expert Advisory Board

Following the selection criteria explained above, we are thrilled to announce the CHARTER Expert Advisory Board is composed of a diverse range of experts from several parts of Europe, who have generously agreed to work with our project:

• • Erminia Sciacchitano. Minister’s Cabinet, Italian Ministry of Culture, Italy. Former European Commission DG EAC Policy Officer 2014-2020 and Chief Scientific Advisor of the task force for EYCH 2018.
  • Johanna Leissner. Scientific Representative, Frauenhofer Institute, Germany. Chair of the current OMC group Strengthening Cultural Heritage Resilience for Climate Change (2021 – 2022).
  • Marc Jacobs. Member of the UNESCO committee on intangible cultural heritage, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
  • Patrick Lehnes. Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University of Freiburg, Germany. Founder and former executive director of Interpret Europe.
  • Jermina Stanojev. Independent researcher involved in current and past European projects. PhD on participatory and integrated governance of cultural heritage with an evidence-based policy approach.
  • Conor Newman. Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway. Chairman of the Heritage Council of Ireland 2008 – 2016. Published on cultural heritage in the NACE codes.
  • Maria Economou. Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Former Vice President of UNIVERSEUM, the European Academic Heritage Network.
  • Bénédicte Selfslagh. Former President of the Panel of the European Heritage Label, former Secretary General of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). Former Chair of the Steering Committee for the Cultural Heritage (CDPAT) of the Council of Europe.
  • Kristiina Volmari. Former Counsellor of Education and Head of Statistics and International Affairs at the Finnish National Agency for Education. Co-editor of COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK FOR VET PROFESSIONS (2009).
  • Ana Schoebel Orbea. Former technological expert for the working group of the Spanish National Qualifications Institute (INCUAL), member of CEDEFOP, former Spanish national coordinator for the European Landscape Convention. Manager Council of Europe of the European Heritage Strategy for the 21st Century in 2017 and 2018.

What’s the role of the Expert Advisory Board in CHARTER?

The Expert Advisory Board has the predominant mission of guiding the work of the different working packages in CHARTER, using both their expertise and external and partial point of view. This core task will be performed through the following actions:

EVALUATION. Giving feedback to project members in conferences and workshops; monitor, review and validate the progress and quality of deliverables and outcomes; report the quality of project tasks to the EACEA.

MENTORSHIP. Assisting project partners to maintain or improve quality standards; share expertise through presentations in CHARTER workshops and conferences.

PROMOTION. Contributing to communication and dissemination activities; introducing useful contacts for the project; publicly supporting CHARTER and its aims at all levels; aiding project partners to develop the required durable skills alliance based on their personal policy implementation experience.