RICHeS is delighted to announce that, as of Monday 31 March 2025, the RICHeS Infrastructure Headquarters (IHQ) has officially become the United Kingdom’s National Node for the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS). This milestone highlights the UK’s commitment to advancing conservation and heritage science.
E-RIHS, now established as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), is committed to promoting an integrated approach to understanding, conserving and appreciating our shared cultural heritage. By uniting world-class facilities and expertise across Europe, E-RIHS drives scientific excellence and innovation in conservation and heritage science. Its primary activities focus on:
- Providing state-of-the-art, excellence-driven, open access to infrastructure through four integrated platforms: ARCHLAB, DIGILAB, FIXLAB, and MOLAB
- Developing standardised practices, protocols and an ecosystem of data, tools and services for conservation and heritage science research
- Fostering an inclusive, multidisciplinary approach to research in conservation and heritage science
- Ensuring the training and development of the next generation of heritage scientists
The role of RICHeS IHQ as the UK National Node
As the UK’s National Node, RICHeS IHQ will serve as a vital link between the UK and Europe, facilitating access to cutting-edge research infrastructure, collaborative research opportunities and comprehensive training programs through the E-RIHS HS Academy. Since its inception, the UK, as a founding member, has an active role in the E-RIHS initiative, contributing advanced methodologies and services from world-leading institutions.
RICHeS IHQ brings together a consortium of Access Providers, offering access to expertise and state-of-the-art facilities. These partnerships strengthen the UK’s role within E-RIHS ERIC by:
- Enabling new research opportunities in conservation and heritage science
- Enhancing transnational access to research infrastructure
- Contributing to the global effort to safeguard and better understand cultural heritage for future generations.
Strengthening collaboration in conservation and heritage science
The integration of RICHeS IHQ into the E-RIHS network is a significant step in RICHeS’ mission to foster collaborations and interdisciplinary approaches in conservation and heritage science. As a distributed research infrastructure, RICHeS ensures that heritage science equipment, expertise, resources and research data are findable, accessible and effectively utilised by a broad spectrum of users. By strengthening partnerships and bridging disciplines, RICHeS strive to empower users to drive innovation in study of our shared cultural heritage.
Through this enhanced collaboration, RICHeS aims to elevate the impact of conservation and heritage science, ensuring that knowledge and best practices are shared across borders. RICHeS is excited about the opportunities this consortium will generate and looks forward to working alongside European colleagues to advance the boundaries of conservation and heritage science.
Contact
For more information about RICHeS IHQ as the UK National Node, please contact us at: e-rihs.uk@ahrc.ukri.org