Scientific publications and research outcomes
Socio-Economic Drivers of Cultural Heritage Digitization in the EU
Publication in the journal ‘Heritage’,
https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9010017
Daina Kleponė, Paulius Šūmakaris, Kristina Kovaitė and Karolina Šūmakarienė.
Cultural heritage digitisation (CHD) has become a strategic priority in European cultural and digital policies, driving efforts to enhance accessibility, preservation, and economic engagement. As digital technologies reshape the cultural sector, CHD increasingly intersects with the digital economy, fostering new forms of value creation. Despite this, empirical research on the socioeconomic drivers of CHD remains limited, with existing studies focused mainly on conceptual discussions, expert-based assessments, or institutional case studies.
This study systematically analyses the socioeconomic drivers shaping CHD across Europe using large-scale data from ENUMERATE and Eurostat. An econometric approach combining Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) is employed to capture both linear and non-linear relationships.
The findings show that CHD is shaped by a complex interplay of economic capacity, digital infrastructure, institutional strategy, and societal demand, rather than by targeted funding initiatives alone. By bridging conceptual discussions and systematic econometric analysis, the study provides a robust empirical framework for understanding the external conditions that influence CHD and offers evidence-based insights to support more targeted digital transformation strategies in the European cultural sector.
Artificial Surrealism and Authors’ Rights
Publication in the journal ‘Santander Art and Culture Law Review’.
https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.25.009.21965
Artha Dermawan.
The article examines the growing use of artificial intelligence in artistic and cultural production, with a particular focus on its implications for authors’ rights and cultural heritage. It introduces the concept of “artificial surrealism” to describe AI-generated outputs that draw extensively on existing cultural materials while obscuring human authorship and creative intention. Against this background, the paper analyses how current copyright frameworks respond to AI systems trained on large-scale cultural datasets, including digitised heritage collections.
The article argues that prevailing approaches risk weakening both authors’ rights and the protection of cultural heritage by normalising extensive, unremunerated reuse of protected works. Particular attention is paid to training practices, attribution, and the erosion of meaningful control for creators and heritage-holding institutions. The paper situates these developments within broader debates on access to culture, technological innovation, and the public interest.
By combining doctrinal copyright analysis with examples drawn from the arts and cultural heritage sector, the article highlights gaps in existing legal safeguards and reflects on possible regulatory and licensing responses. It concludes by proposing that a novel licensing regime which could support innovation in AI while preserving the economic and moral interests of authors and the integrity of cultural heritage materials.
Towards a Scientometric Understanding of Cultural & Digital Heritage: Multi Source Data Integration Pipeline & EC Funding Trends.
DIGITAL HERITAGE (2025), The Eurographics Association
https://doi.org/10.2312/dh.20253381
Walter Ehrenberger, Sander Muenster
This paper introduces an ELT pipeline and a data model that integrates, sanitises, unifies, and enriches multiple data sources to enable quantitative analysis of cultural and digital heritage. This results in 374,998 research outputs, 45,725 institutions and 19,558 projects after deduplication, including other entities and metadata. We developed scientometric use cases tailored for researchers and policy makers, and implemented a preliminary version of them in an interactive web app prototype.
Initial findings, as well as the use cases presented in the prototype, demonstrate the pipeline’s potential while highlighting the critical need for sophisticated topic modeling and classification systems as well as further enrichment of the data to unlock deeper scientometric insights.
Determining a General CH Digitization Process Based on a Scoping Review
DIGITAL HERITAGE (2025)
https://doi.org/10.2312/dh.20253369
Fritsche, K., Münster, S.
The digitisation of cultural heritage (CH) serves a range of critical purposes, including preservation, accessibility, research, and education. It also plays a key role in raising public awareness about the value of cultural assets, while fostering community engagement through thoughtfully developed digital heritage initiatives.
This paper presents a qualitative analysis based on a scoping review of recent CH digitisation literature, aiming to identify and synthesise key themes and approaches.
The findings are clustered and abstracted to outline core steps in the digitisation process, forming a structured framework. For each step, associated tasks and guiding questions are defined to support implementation. This process-oriented overview offers practical value for the planning and execution of new digitization projects. It also provides strategic guidance on resource allocation and stakeholder engagement, including timing, methods, and rationale for involving communities, tourism sectors, and other relevant actors.
Beyond Participation: A Quadruple Helix Approach to Digital Cultural Heritage and Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement
The Eurographics Association
https://doi.org/10.2312/dh.20253221
Aelita Skarzauskiene, Monika Mačiulienė, Kristina Kovaitė, Paulius Šūmakaris
The digitisation of cultural heritage offers significant opportunities for preservation, maintenance, and promotion. However, it also presents challenges in terms of representation and the exhibition of content, particularly for the cultural heritage of minorities. Recent discourse has brought co-creation methodologies to the forefront as a transformative strategy, leveraging the collective expertise of communities, governments, and institutions to surmount the limitations of traditional, hierarchical models. Despite these advances, there remains a lack of a unified model capable of fully elucidating the diverse roles of stakeholders in cultural heritage digitisation.
The primary objective of this paper is to foster a deep understanding of the roles, motivations, and prerequisites of stakeholders involved in the digitisation process, with a special focus on minority communities. This involves mapping the current digitisation policies, academic narratives, and practices in cultural heritage across Europe, exploring the limitations of existing participatory models, examining the roles of diverse stakeholders in heritage digitization, and proposing a more integrated Quadruple Helix Ecosystem Framework that accounts for technological, social, and policy-driven dynamics. The focus on minority communities serves as a key case study, demonstrating how co-creation methodologies reshape cultural heritage as a living, evolving process.
Artificial Intelligence for Digital Heritage Innovation: Setting up a R&D Agenda for Europe
Special Issue XR and Artificial Intelligence for Heritage
doi.org/10.3390/heritage7020038
Sander Münster, Ferdinand Maiwald, Isabella di Lenardo, Juha Henriksson, Antoine Isaac, Manuela Milica Graf, Clemens Beck and Johan Oomen
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a game changer in many fields, including cultural heritage. It supports the planning and preservation of heritage sites and cities, enables the creation of virtual experiences to enrich cultural tourism and engagement, supports research, and increases access and understanding of heritage objects.
Despite some impressive examples, the full potential of AI for economic, social, and cultural change is not yet fully visible. Against this background, this article aims to (a) highlight the scope of AI in the field of cultural heritage and innovation, (b) highlight the state of the art of AI technologies for cultural heritage, (c) highlight challenges and opportunities, and (d) outline an agenda for AI, cultural heritage, and innovation.
Il Patrimonio Culturale Digitale delle Minoranze Etniche: il Progetto DIGICHer Tra le Comunità Sámi, Ladine ed Ebraiche in Europa.
Proceedings of the XIV Annual AIUCD2025 Conference.
DOI10.6092/unibo/amsacta/8380
Matteo Cova, Eleonora De Longis.
(The digital cultural heritage of ethnic minorities: the DIGICHer project among the Sámi, Ladin and Jewish communities in Europe).
This contribution presents the objectives and methodological development of the European project DIGICHer, dedicated to revising the guidelines for the digitalisation of the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in Europe. In collaboration with the Sámi, Ladin, and Jewish communities, through a highly multidisciplinary approach, the project aims to develop a methodology to address the digital transition of cultural heritage, confronting issues of ethics and sustainability.
Please note that this paper is in Italian.
Key Themes in Digitising Cultural Heritage: An Analysis of Core Competencies, Topics, and Methods in Digital Humanities Higher Education Offers
PCE2025 Conference Proceedings
https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2025.2
Fritsche, K., Münster, S.
This article provides insights into structures, offerings, and content dedicated to digitisation and humanities topics within study programs at the European level. Structures in the broad field of university-based Digital Humanities (DH) training are defined before competence-theoretical and curricular components based on current literature research are examined in detail.
A descriptive analysis of the DH study program descriptions from studyportals.com shows that at the European level, it is mainly Master's programs (followed by Bachelor's and PhD programs) that are dedicated to DH in higher education.
The quantitative evaluation of key terms from the course descriptions shows that different thematic focuses exist at the various study program levels, ranging from more basic-oriented competencies to organizational and method-oriented aspects to research-oriented topics. Finally, a recent survey of experts in the field of cultural heritage and Digital Humanities shows current and desired content and topics of DH training and reveals related needs that include technical-infrastructural, financial, personnel, time and cooperative aspects.
The contribution concludes with the derivation of thematic and organizational focal points of the given and potentially possible design of DH study courses and programs at the European level as well as a proposal for a further research design to investigate the precise curricular differentiation of specific DH study offers.
Towards an Inclusive Digital Cultural Heritage: Frameworks for Representation and Sustainability
European Journal of Sustainable Development
https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2025.v14n4p179
Aelita Skarzauskiene, Monika Mačiulienė, Kristina Kovaitė, Paulius Šūmakaris
The digitisation of cultural heritage (CH) offers significant opportunities for preservation, maintenance, and promotion. However, it also presents challenges in terms of representation and the exhibition of content, particularly for the cultural heritage of minorities. This situation can lead to reduced participation and inclusion of minority groups, creating inequitable representations of diverse values in digitisation efforts and increasing the risk of misuse of digital CH.
Existing academic frameworks often inadequately address digitization needs and diverse stakeholder perspectives.
There is a need for adaptive frameworks that integrate various values and narratives relevant to digital and multicultural heritage management. The paper emphasizes the need for a more inclusive and collaborative approach to cultural heritage digitization. The proposed Quadruple Helix Ecosystem Framework provides a comprehensive model to guide the development of innovative and sustainable digital heritage initiatives where diverse stakeholders work together to preserve, interpret, and present cultural heritage in the digital age.
Reframing Cultural Heritage Digitization: Co-Creation, Inclusion, and the Quadruple Helix Approach
Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Aelita Skarzauskiene, Monika Mačiulienė, Kristina Kovaitė
This paper addresses the fragmented dynamics of stakeholder engagement in cultural heritage digitisation, particularly where minority and Indigenous representation is concerned.
Drawing on co-creation theory, innovation ecosystems, and the Quadruple Helix framework, it introduces a model that treats engagement as an evolving process across civil society, academia, government, and industry—while recognising communities as autonomous knowledge actors. The model was tested through an analysis of 40 digitisation projects across Canada, Australia, the USA, and Croatia, selected for their focus on cultural self-representation, oral traditions, and community-led preservation. Findings highlight the significance of shared governance and sustained community leadership in embedding co-creation across decision-making and stewardship.
The paper argues that genuine engagement requires a redistribution of power and epistemic authority, not just inclusion. The conclusion outlines implications for digital heritage policy, especially regarding data sovereignty and culturally appropriate infrastructure. Ongoing research will explore how the model can be applied across diverse contexts.
Towards an Inclusive Digital Cultural Heritage: Frameworks for Representation and Sustainability
European Journal of Sustainable Development
doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2025.v14n4p179
Aelita Skarzauskiene, Monika Mačiulienė, Kristina Kovaitė, Paulius Šūmakaris
The digitisation of cultural heritage (CH) offers significant opportunities for preservation, maintenance, and promotion. However, it also presents challenges in terms of representation and the exhibition of content, particularly for the cultural heritage of minorities. This situation can lead to reduced participation and inclusion of minority groups, creating inequitable representations of diverse values in digitisation efforts and increasing the risk of misuse of digital CH.
Existing academic frameworks often inadequately address digitisation needs and diverse stakeholder perspectives. There is a need for adaptive frameworks that integrate various values and narratives relevant to digital and multicultural heritage management.
The paper emphasizes the need for a more inclusive and collaborative approach to cultural heritage digitisation. The proposed Quadruple Helix Ecosystem Framework provides a comprehensive model to guide the development of innovative and sustainable digital heritage initiatives where diverse stakeholders work together to preserve, interpret, and present cultural heritage in the digital age.