Tracks4Crafts
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Project name: Transforming crafts knowledge for a sustainable, inclusive and economically viable heritage in Europe
Project acronym: Tracks4Crafts
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01 (Grant agreement No. 101094507)
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project implementation period: 01.03.2023.-28.02.2027.
Project duration: 48 months
Total budget: 3 984 711.25 EUR
Project coordinator: Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium)
Web page: https://tracks4crafts.eu/
Project partners:
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France)
Stichting Waag Society (Netherlands)
Ortega Nuere Maria Cristina (Spain)
World Crafts Council Europe Company Ltd. (Ireland)
Centro studi Cultura Sviluppo (Italy)
Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija (Latvia)
Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
Textilmiðstöð Íslands og Þekkingarsetur á Blönduósi (Iceland)
Het Domein Bokrijk vzw (Belgium)
Asociatia Semne Cusute (Romania)
Mouseio Technis Metaxiou (Greece)
MX3D bv (Netherlands)
Artex S. Cons.R.L (Italy)
Onl'fait (Switzerland)
The aim of the project:
Tracks4Crafts examines and transforms the transmission of traditional crafts knowledge (TCK) to enhance the societal and economic valuation of crafts and align them with a future-oriented heritage approach in Europe. As intangible cultural heritage (ICH), crafts and TCK can be seen as resources for competitiveness, innovation, sustainable development and quality of life. Yet the tools, formats and instruments needed to foster the transmission and employment of TCK are lagging behind, which hampers the full development of its potential. Our objectives are to enhance and transform the transmission of TCK for a more effective economic as well as societal valuation of crafts. This is achieved in 4 Tracks, in which we (1) transform learning processes in physical spaces in which craftspeople collaborate (in hi-tech environments, including fab-labs and maker spaces etc.), (2) develop new digital technologies that enhance and transform transmission of TCK, (3) produce tools and instruments which enable capturing and optimizing the value of the produced TCK (business modeling, certification, and property protection), and (4) create networks to foster and disseminate the societal and economic value of TCK (e.g. through the CHARTER alliance (European Cultural Heritage Skills Alliance)). The output is based on experiments in 8 craft ecosystems in which we develop and test formats for learning and tools for certification and validation in which (1) the economic and cultural barriers related to traditional TCK-transmission are addressed (i.a. the lengthy nature of learning, the fear of the craft getting lost…) and (2) the full potential of technology is tapped (i.a. for turning embodied TCK in open-source knowledge). To ensure that the solutions bridge the heritage perspective and the economic and societal needs and that our solutions are shared and transferable, our approach is deeply interdisciplinary and based on processes of multi-stakeholder co creation (including action research).
Additional information:
termporary project coordinator at the Latvian Academy of Culture Baiba Tjarve (baiba.tjarve@lka.edu.lv)
Tracks4Crafts Latvia TEAM
Anita Vaivade (Project coordinator, on the prolonged leave)
Baiba Tjarve (Lead project participant, temporary project coordinator)
Ieva Zemīte (Lead project participant)
Anda Laķe (Lead project participant)
Vadims Mantrovs (Lead project participant)
Līga Ābele (Project participant)
Lote Katrīna Cērpa (Project participant)
News
Latvian Academy of Culture researchers have developed a report on the legal and policy frameworks of crafts in Europe
10.03.2026
A research team from the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) has, within the framework of the international research project "Transforming crafts knowledge for a sustainable, inclusive and economically viable heritage in Europe" / Tracks4Crafts, prepared the report "Report on Legal and Policy Frameworks of Crafts in Europe: Approaches at the State Level", which analyses how crafts are supported, regulated and developed across different countries as part of cultural heritage and the creative economy.
The aim of the report is to provide an in-depth overview of how craft skills and knowledge in Europe are being protected, transmitted to future generations, and adapted to contemporary social, economic and cultural contexts. Particular attention is paid to the role of crafts in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, the development of creative industries, as well as questions relating to the professional status of artisans and the protection of intellectual property.
In the report, the researchers also address the diversity of craft definitions across Europe, various governance models and support instruments in the crafts sector, as well as issues concerning the professional status of artisans and the protection of their intellectual property. The overview offers valuable insights for cultural heritage policy-makers, cultural institutions, heritage professionals, legal experts, education specialists and craftspeople.
The research involved a comparative analysis of policy and legal documents in 30 European countries, a quantitative survey of cultural policy and UNESCO focal points, as well as interviews with policy and legal experts from Belgium, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland. Additionally, the periodic reports submitted under the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage were analysed, in which crafts are examined as one of the domains of intangible cultural heritage.
The research was conducted by a research team of LAC Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies: Anita Vaivade, Baiba Tjarve, Anda, Laķe, Ieva Zemīte, Līga Ābele, Lote Katrīna Cērpa and visiting researcher Vadims Mantrovs.
The report is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ikkSwtkmwVeXVO2Ex1DEMu5w38Yc-KhK/view?usp=drive_link
The annex to the report is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DSPBrfp-1zInoPz3YCRe21j8qhCTH5r6/view?usp=drive_link
Further information about the Tracks4Crafts project can be found at: https://tracks4crafts.eu/
The international project "Transforming Crafts Knowledge for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Economically Viable Heritage in Europe" (Tracks4Crafts) is funded by the EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101094507). LAC is one of 15 international partners in the project.
The Tracks4Crafts Project Webinars Begin
26.09.2023
On September 29, 2023, the Tracks4Crafts project launches a series of international webinars (duration – one and a half hours, working language – English). These webinars will feature insights from project consortium partners as well as invited specialists from various fields, and everyone interested is welcome to participate. Each webinar will focus on a specific topic related to crafts in Europe:
1) Craft knowledge transmission – September 29 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/99745646095?pwd=OW4ycDBZY1g3Q1duLzhtRzdCUDJHUT09;
2) Crafts: Sustainability, Social and Ecological Transition – October 18 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/96958828933?pwd=UnFRWUgxd0xoVVk4eldQTVphNHBkUT09;
3) Crafts: History and Territory – October 26 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/96960685803?pwd=UFZWdCszZGJXQmFscDMxL1NnM24xUT09;
4) Craft Markets and Business Models –November 7 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/99670696295?pwd=UEx2cllPTC94NEZVKzkzMkQrODFidz09;
5) Crafts: Innovation, Creativity and New Technologies – November 29 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/92365318653?pwd=QjROZVB4MHZPOFlwUjNGY1lIZHpIZz09;
6) Craft policies and tools – December 14 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/99168062354?pwd=b2JRdFNyRzVnQjdKanNRVGwvalF2UT09;
7) Crafts: Heritage Safeguarding – December 21 https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/91548766722?pwd=eVNiWXN0bWFQNXF6dllJcHoySFlLUT09;
8) Legal Frameworks and Intellectual Property Protection – January 23, 2024
We invite you to follow the updates about each upcoming webinar's program on the Facebook page of the LAC Institute of Culture and Arts https://www.facebook.com/lkakmi.
The first face-to-face meeting of the Tracks4Crafts project
18.04.2023
On March 23, 2023, at the University of Antwerp, and on March 24 at the Bokrijk Museum (one of the project partners), located about an hour’s drive from Antwerp, the first joint meeting of all participants in the Tracks4Crafts project took place. The focus of the meeting was on getting to know one another and engaging in in-depth discussions about the project’s deliverables, methodology, and communication. Over the course of two days, each participating organization presented itself, the project’s goals and the division of work packages were discussed, and the planned experimental/pilot projects were introduced. Additionally, a remote Zoom meeting was organized with the European Commission’s representative overseeing the project.
The meeting included separate discussions with various colleagues from the organizations involved in the project, providing insights into their experiences and motivations for participating in the project. There was also an opportunity to meet in person and talk with the work package leaders responsible for several deliverables involving the Latvian Academy of Culture – Francesca Cominelli from Sorbonne University and Cristina Ortega Nuere from the Spanish consulting firm 3W Cultural Research, Training and Knowledge Transfer.
Overall, the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to meet the project partners and leaders in person and to discuss the future course of the project in greater detail.
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