Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society - 2027

Europe’s rich cultural heritage and strong creative industries not only reflect our past but also shape our future. It is by building on this foundation and developing our strengths that we can face the great challenges of our time with confidence and shape a desirable common future. Europe's cultural heritage originates from the interaction between people and places through time and is constantly evolving^[1]. Every citizen has a right to engage with the cultural heritage of their choice, while respecting the rights and freedoms of others, as an aspect of the right to participate freely in cultural life^[2].

Europe’s diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage and dynamic cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are strategic assets. They enrich our lives, foster social cohesion and societal resilience, and contribute to a sense of belonging. They underpin a growing economy that generates more employment than the automotive industry and a similar trade balance as food, drinks and tobacco combined. Many of Europe’s multinational companies build their international success on European heritage and creativity. At the same time, the sector is nurturing large numbers of dynamic small, medium (SMEs) and micro enterprises, creating employment not the least for young people, while deploying their creativity not only to generate income but also to contribute to social and cultural sustainability, wellbeing and to projecting European values at home and abroad. The cultural and creative industries are engines of innovation not only in themselves, but across the entire economy, thus contributing strongly to Europe’s overall competitiveness and future prosperity.

This destination adopts a people-centred perspective and places cultural heritage and the cultural and creative industries at the very heart of the European economy, its competitiveness and sustainability. R&I activities under this destination will be aligned with the main principles and objectives of the Culture Compass for Europe and support objectives such as circular and just fashion and textiles value-chains, social cohesion and resilience through arts, design and cultural practices and creative entrepreneurial ecosystems for regional development. R&I activities under this destination will support and strengthen European cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries essentially along the following lines:

Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness: To secure Europe’s future prosperity and competitiveness, it is necessary to unlock the innovative power of our cultural heritage and CCIs. The CCIs contribute strongly to drive innovation not only in themselves but also in other industries and economic sectors, shape new technologies and can contribute to user-driven innovation, open innovation and cross-sectoral innovation, in addition to their wider societal contributions such as to cultural wealth, social cohesion and resilience.

R&I actions under this area will focus on boosting the innovation-driving role of the CCIs, on creative startups, on the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on creativity and CCIs, while ensuring that new technologies are fairly deployed, along with the contributions of artistic intelligence and soft skills, boosting a circular economy and global partnerships in cultural policies and CCIs, among other things.

Supporting people, strengthening our societies and our social model: Cultural heritage, the arts and the CCIs have a crucial role to play for resilient and socially sustainable societies, shaping and strengthening the values that hold us together and give meaning and a sense of belonging.

R&I actions under this area will focus on boosting the role of culture, the arts and creative industries in contributing to well-being, to the social economy and in general the societal impact of cultural heritage. R&I actions will explore and strengthen the role of culture, heritage and CCIs in shaping the technologies of the future and focus on safeguarding intangible heritage and linguistic diversity, on sustainable cultural tourism and on countering illicit trafficking of cultural goods, among others.

Some actions funded under this Destination will need access to and/or generate data. Where appropriate, actions should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud or included in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and the ESFRI roadmap, as well as data from relevant European Data Spaces. In particular, projects that produce data or digital tools of potential interest to cultural heritage institutions or researchers should, as appropriate, establish links to and/or consider integrating their results in the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH)^[3].Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of actions under this Destination is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

The innovation ecosystems created and nurtured by the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), in particular the KIC “EIT Culture and Creativity”, may contribute to actions under this destination, and may as appropriate be considered by applicants. Furthermore, applicants are invited to consult funding opportunities in other parts of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, including for instance the funding opportunities for companies, high potential start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovative researchers offered under the European Innovation Council.

R&I actions under this Destination will help ensure Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, support people, strengthening our societies and our social model, contribute to protecting our democracy, upholding our values and boosting a global Europe, leveraging our power and partnerships. They will contribute to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to building a stronger, more participatory and crisis-resilient society and economy. They will support the realisation of the full potential of cultural heritage, arts and cultural and creative industries as drivers of sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging.

To maximise the impacts of R&I under this Destination in line with EU priorities, international cooperation is encouraged whenever relevant in the proposed topics.

Expected impact:

Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:

• The full potential of cultural heritage, arts and cultural and creative industries and sectors as drivers of both sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging is realised through a continuous engagement with society, citizens and economic sectors.

[1] Council conclusions of 21 May 2014 on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe (2014/C 183/08) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014XG0614(08)

[2] CETS 199 - Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (coe.int)

[3] See further for instance https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/social-sciences-and-humanities/cultural-heritage-and-cultural-and-creative-industries-ccis/cultural-heritage-cloud_en

Expected Outcome:

Projects should contribute to the first expected outcome, plus those under either Focus 1 or Focus 2, depending on the chosen focus

• Evidence-based policy recommendations and solutions for integrating cultural tourism into strategies for regenerative sustainability, environmental protection (for example, from degradation or biodiversity loss), digital transformation, social inclusion and gender equality at all levels of government. As a result, cultural tourism becomes a stronger driver of regenerative sustainable development, increases workforce numbers and skills, and improves working conditions. Research impact is maximised through coordinated dissemination and policy co-creation, facilitating implementation of research-based solutions by policymakers and stakeholders.

Focus 1

• A comprehensive analytical framework for ethical AI integration in sustainable cultural tourism balancing sustainable competitiveness with cultural authenticity and inclusivity.
• Methodological frameworks and tools for AI-assisted foresight in cultural tourism enabling policymakers, civil society and stakeholders to anticipate changes and adapt strategies proactively.

Focus 2

• Evidence-based, community-centric models and strategies for sustainable cultural tourism in emerging and less-developed destinations, adaptable to diverse contexts within and beyond the EU.
• An international collaborative network for small business and civil society in cultural tourism, focused on cross-border partnerships, regenerative practices and equitable benefit-sharing. This network will connect stakeholders with researchers, policymakers, expertise, and resources to co-create culturally respectful, regenerative cultural tourism models and improve workforce conditions in underserved regions.

Scope:

Cultural tourism accounts for about 40% of global tourism^[1] and continues to grow as travellers seek unique, authentic, and immersive experiences. In addition to its economic benefits, cultural tourism enriches societies through cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding. The sector faces major transformation driven by technological advancement, shifting consumer expectations, climate change, sustainability imperatives, environmental degradation and threats to cultural integrity – including commodification and heritage degradation. Furthermore, there is a growing emphasis on inclusive and meaningful travel experiences, including accessibility for travellers with disabilities and others with specific needs. This topic takes a multidimensional approach to future-proofing sustainable cultural tourism amid technological, social and environmental change across the EU and beyond. Proposals should select either Focus 1 or Focus 2 and clearly state their selection:

Focus 1: Transformative AI integration and strategic foresight for cultural tourism resilience

Proposals are expected to explore how integrating AI-powered tools and other emerging technologies with cultural tourism can strengthen its resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability. Additionally, through AI-assisted participatory foresight proposals should address the need for tourism systems to move from reactive management to anticipatory governance models, building resilience to global challenges.

Proposals should investigate AI applications that reshape cultural tourism experiences while ensuring that they remain authentic and respectful of local integrity; enhance inclusivity, including equal access to technology and improved accessibility for persons with disabilities; help manage visitor pressure. They could leverage available public and private data and infrastructures, such as the European Data space for Tourism.^[2] Building on recent developments in AI and immersive technologies, proposals could for example use AI-powered virtual and augmented reality to boost visitor engagement and cross-cultural appreciation of cultural sites while preserving historical integrity. They should investigate novel approaches to AI-driven personalisation that develop inclusive, non-discriminatory, tailored cultural experiences, which are ethically managed, and ensure fair representation of minority or lesser-known heritage and cultural expressions.

Proposals could analyse the integration of AI in multilingual interpretation and cultural mediation to overcome language barriers and deepen cultural understanding of local contexts or develop and refine AI-powered tools for visitor flow management, real-time heritage monitoring, and balancing preservation with inclusive tourism.

Furthermore, proposals are expected to develop methodological frameworks for applying AI-assisted foresight (scenario planning, horizon scanning, among others to anticipate trends and challenges in cultural tourism – such as shifts in visitor behaviour, cultural commodification risks, and potential disruptions (eg related to climate, pandemics, energy crises), enabling the identification of opportunities and risks and fostering proactive, data-informed policy responses. AI-based predictive analytics should be combined with participatory workshops to engage local communities, authorities, and cultural organisations in co-creating forward-looking sustainable tourism strategies.

Focus 2: Cultural tourism as a catalyst for sustainable local development

Proposals are expected to develop sustainable cultural tourism frameworks and strategies tailored to emerging and less-developed destinations, especially in low-income and lesser-known regions seeking to leverage culture and creativity for economic growth and social development, including through addressing depopulation and preventing overtourism. These frameworks may foster creative entrepreneurial ecosystems for regional development. Partnerships with non-EU countries are encouraged. Proposals should investigate cross-border collaboration models that enable mutual learning, upskilling, fair working conditions, knowledge transfer and capacity building between EU and non-EU partners. Proposals should identify and adapt proven sustainable cultural tourism models to diverse less-developed settings (urban, peri-urban, rural) emphasizing equitable benefit-sharing. The research should include the analysis of case studies of successful community integration in cultural tourism decision-making. Partnerships among local communities, creative industries (including crafts), local businesses and cultural heritage organisations should be prioritised to co-create economically viable, environmentally balanced, authentic and culturally respectful tourism offerings, potentially using living labs and pilot demonstrations. Projects are expected to establish collaborative networks for small businesses and civil society actors in cultural tourism, supporting them through access to researchers, policymakers, expertise, knowledge, resources and collaborative opportunities.

Regardless of focus, all proposals should ensure cooperation with and policy uptake of existing knowledge, tools, and best practices from past and ongoing EU-funded research on cultural tourism and related areas^[3]. They should develop frameworks integrating cultural tourism with broader sustainability, digital transformation, and social inclusion goals. Furthermore, they should create co-creative policy development methodologies involving diverse stakeholders (policymakers across various government levels, local communities, NGOs, businesses, industry) to translate research insights into evidence-based strategies and contextually appropriate interventions boosting cultural tourism as a resource for sustainable development and fostering workforce growth and skills, and improved working conditions in cultural tourism. Finally, they should establish continuous knowledge exchange mechanisms among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure ongoing relevance and impact.

[1] UN World Tourism Organization (2018), Tourism and Culture Synergies, p. 21.

https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/epdf/10.18111/9789284418978

[2] https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/calls-proposals/data-space-tourism_en

[3] This includes projects funded by Cluster 6 topic HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-02-2-two-stage: New sustainable business and production models for farmers and rural communities.