The Project "European Culture and Health Hub – ECHH" has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101286497.  
 

Project Title: European Culture and Health Hub 

Project Acronym: ECHH 

Funded by: EU research and innovation support programme “Horizon Europe” (Project Grant Agreement No. 101286497) 

Implementation Period: 01.06.2026.–31.05.2029. 

 Duration: 36 months 

Total Budget: 1 992 487.17 EUR 

Lead Partner: Turku University of Applied Sciences (Turku UAS), Finland 

Project partners: 

Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland),   

University College London (United Kingdom)  

The Center for Primary Health Care Research Region Skåne (Sweden),   

Culture Action Europe (Belgium),   

EuroHealthNet (Belgium),   

University of Porto (Portugal),   

Cultural Welfare Center ETS (Italy)  

Cultura en Vena (Spain)  

Nord University (Norway)  

Arts in Health Netherlands (Netherlands)  

Latvian Academy of Culture (Latvia)  

Mozarteum University Salzburg (Austria)  

Cluj Cultural Centre (Romania)  

University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)  

Hope UK (United Kingdom)  

This project is additionally supported by associated partners contributing international expertise, policy engagement, and cross-sector collaboration: Arts + Health Ireland / Réalta (Ireland), Secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (Latvia), United Cities and Local Governments (Spain), UNESCO (France), and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (Sweden). 
 

The aim of the project:  

Research from the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe suggests that engaging with the arts can support psychological wellbeing and strengthen community resilience by helping people reconnect with each other and the places they live. Participation in cultural activities has also been linked to improved mental health, stronger social cohesion, and more resilient communities.    

The European Culture and Health Hub (ECHH 2026-2029) is a new, ambitious Horizon Europe initiative that aims to bring these ideas more directly into policy and practice. Coordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland), it brings together European researchers, cultural organisations, policymakers, and health professionals from 15 organisations across 13 European countries to explore how engagement with the arts and culture can contribute to population health and wellbeing, and how insights gained from WHO research can be integrated into policy and practice. 

At the centre of the initiative is the European Culture and Health Hub (ECHub), a collaborative platform designed to connect research, policy, and practice while strengthening the evidence base for culture and health. The project aims to shift how Europe thinks about wellbeing and care by embedding culture more deeply in public health approaches.    

The ECHub is being developed in collaboration with policymakers, practitioners, researchers and local communities, ensuring that its outputs reflect real-world needs 

Stakeholder feedback will directly shape the development of the ECHub, including tools that map where evidence is strong and where gaps remain, alongside policy guidance at EU, national, regional, and local levels.    

Alongside this, the ECHH initiative will test, evaluate, and scale culture-and-health interventions, across multiple European settings, supporting regional capacity-building initiatives to help practitioners and organisations implement evidence-based approaches. 

As part of the project, LCA will contribute in three main areas: the development of culture and health policy in Europe, by participating in the drafting of recommendations and organizing dialogue with decision-makers; strengthening the capacity of professionals, by developing and piloting a training model in Latvia for interdisciplinary specialists in culture and health; and in disseminating results—by organizing publicity events, creating communication content, and producing artistic interpretations to reflect the project’s research and policy conclusions. 
 

Additional information: 

Project coordinator at the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) 

Inga Surgunte, research assistant 

LAC Institute of Culture and Arts  
inga.surgunte@lka.edu.lv | +37129953235