ECHOES Principles for capacity building (D5.1)

ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building European Cloud for Heritage Open Science Deliverable D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01 Horizon Innovation action Responsible author: Toma Tasovac (DARIAH) © 2025 by the authors, the ECHOES consortium. This work is licensed under a “CC BY 4.0” license. Project start 1 June 2024 Project duration 60 months Document Identifier 10.5281/zenodo.17513834 ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 1 Deliverable Information Project Number 101157364 Acronym ECHOES Full title European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science Project URL https://www.echoes-eccch.eu/ EU Project Officer Christian WILK Change log Date Version Author Change 29/11/2025 V1.0 Tasovac et al. Final draft 29/11/2024 V1.0 Mailane Sampaio (CNRS) Editing 29/11/2024 V1.0 Xavier Rodier (CNRS) Proofreading Deliverable D5.1 Title Principles for Capacity Building Work Package WP5 Title Capacity Building and Training Submission date 29/11/2024 Pages 28 Keywords Capacity building, Training, Communities Lead Partner DARIAH Responsible Author Toma Tasovac (DARIAH) Authors (Partner) Toma Tasovac (DARIAH), Sebastiaan ter Burg (EUROPEANA), Elis Marçal (E.C.C.O), Elisabeth Stadlinger (ONB) Contributors Carlos Andujar (UPC), Julia Fallon (EUROPEANA), Charlotte Gallini (FSP), Andreas Georgopoulos (ICOMOS), Mira Höschler (NEMO), Sandie Le Conte (INP), Faye Nzegang (ICOMOS), Rémi Petitcol (FSP), Julian Richards (UoY-ADS; ARIADNE RI), Alejandro Ríos (UPC), Amalia Siatou (E.C.C.O.) ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 2 Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 3 Abstract The overarching goal of this document is to provide common, high-level guidelines for developing impactful capacity-building resources within the ECHOES project. Key challenges in the cultural heritage sector, such as limited resources, fragmentation, technical knowledge gaps, and barriers to communication and data sharing, underscore the need for a cohesive and strategic approach to capacity building. Highlights from the document: • Strategic Context and Collaborative Insights o Fragmented priorities and siloed practices in the sector limit knowledge sharing and innovation. o The absence of standard, sector-wide digital maturity frameworks complicates self-assessment, goal setting, and prioritizing resource allocation. o Tailored capacity-building initiatives and collaborative strategies are necessary to address diverse professional groups, different types of heritage assets, and varying levels of digital expertise. o Clear documentation, glossaries, cross-disciplinary training opportunities as well as a proactive approach to linguistic diversity are a sine qua non to fostering effective communication and collaboration across the sector. o It is essential that digital literacy and a commitment to lifelong learning become recognized as key assets for career advancement. o Data-sharing platforms must prioritise strong security protocols and provide clear, standardised licensing frameworks that protect ownership while enabling ethical reuse. • Principles o Focus on People: Prioritize people by aligning training with learners’ needs, fostering professional networks, and driving both personal and community development. o Strive for Excellence: High-quality training requires rigorous standards, skilled trainers, and formal recognition of achievements to motivate learners and maintain impact. o Foster Openness and Accessibility: Promote FAIR-by-design training resources with open licensing and adherence to accessibility standards. o Promote Inclusion and Diversity: Capacity-building measures must cater to a diverse range of professionals from diverse backgrounds and with diverse abilities. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 4 o Ensure Sustainability: Training initiatives need long-term planning, continuous updates, and systematic integration of user feedback to foster trust and ongoing engagement with the resources. o Provide Flexibility and Adaptability: Capacity-building measures should offer modular learning pathways and adaptable content to meet diverse learner needs and reflect local contexts. o Stay Relevant and Impact-Driven: Focus on practical, actionable outcomes that keep up the pace with technological developments and emerging legal frameworks to ensure long-term relevance and effectiveness. • Paths to implementation o Capacity-building principles should be embedded into the strategic planning, workflows, and collaborations within the ECHOES project and the Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage as a whole. o Project partners should foster a learning-centric culture, encouraging lifelong learning and creating opportunities for reflective practices, enabling participants to assess and share how they apply their new skills. o Project partners should adhere to the principles or provide justifications for exceptions, ensuring transparency in addressing constraints such as accessibility or format. o Strengthening partnerships and networks through co-developing openaccess resources, co-hosting events, and creating mentorship and peerlearning opportunities fosters collective growth. o Establishing metrics to assess success (e.g., learner satisfaction, skill application, and community impact) is a precondition for continuous refinement and improvement. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 5 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Document 6 1.2 Structure of the Document 7 2. Challenges in the Cultural Heritage Sector 8 2.1 Limited Resources 8 2.2 Fragmentation 9 2.3 Obstacles to communication and collaboration 10 2.4 Technical and Knowledge Gaps 12 2.5 Data Sharing, Intellectual Property and Questions of Trust 13 3. The Landscape of Capacity Building in ECHOES 16 3.1 Tailored Approaches 16 3.2 Collaboration and Partnerships 17 3.3 Continuous Professional Development 19 3.4 Measuring Impact and Effectiveness 19 3.5 Conclusion 20 4. Principles for Capacity Building 21 4.1 Principle 1: Focus on People 22 4.2 Principle 2: Strive for Excellence 22 4.3 Principle 3: Foster Openness and Accessibility 23 4.4 Principle 4: Promote Inclusion and Diversity 23 4.5 Principle 5: Ensure Sustainability 23 4.6 Principle 6: Provide Flexibility and Adaptability 24 4.7 Principle 7: Stay Relevant and Impact-Driven 24 5. Conclusion 25 5.1 Relation to Other Tasks and Work Packages 25 5.2 Paths to Implementation 25 References 27 ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 6 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Document The overarching goal of this document is to provide common, high-level guidelines for developing impactful capacity-building resources within the ECHOES project. To achieve that goal, the document delineates a set of foundational principles that: • represent core values embedded in the mission and vision of capacity building within ECHOES; • promote community engagement from all stakeholders, including cultural heritage institutions and professionals, researchers, as well as the general public; and • ensure that all capacity-building initiatives and resources developed within the project remain sustainable and accessible to diverse audiences across Europe and beyond. Training generally refers to the process in which individuals or groups gain specific skills or knowledge needed to perform particular tasks. Training is often short-term and focused on specific goals, such as learning how to use a software tool, understanding a protocol, or developing a particular technical skill. Capacity building, on the other hand, is a broader, long-term process that aims to generally enhance the capabilities and resources of individuals, organisations, or communities. It encompasses training but also includes other methods, like mentorship, resource development and allocation, enhancement of human resources, networking and lobbying. In other words, training should be understood as a tool or component within the broader strategy of capacity building. Capacity building focuses on the holistic development of skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure ongoing growth and improvement. ECHOES’ overall mission is to set up the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), a shared platform designed to facilitate collaboration among cultural heritage professionals and researchers, enabling them to modernise their workflows and processes. This platform will offer access to data, cutting-edge scientific and training resources, and advanced digital tools, all developed collaboratively by the heritage community to meet their specific requirements. It goes without saying that training and capacity building are essential for the success of such an ambitious enterprise. ECHOES plans to integrate the currently fragmented communities within the cultural heritage (CH) sector and bring together diverse actors from various fields and disciplines into a cohesive community focused on the Digital ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 7 Commons. A successful collaboration among institutions of varying sizes and capabilities will to a large extent depend on a meaningful and coherent capacity building strategy so that all future users of the Collaborative Cloud, regardless of their technical background, have the skills necessary to fully engage with and benefit from it. Drawing on the challenges facing the cultural heritage sector and the expertise and experience of ECHOES partners, the principles presented here serve as a strategic foundation for helping the development and dissemination of knowledge in the ECCCH. The aim is to foster collaboration across national and institutional boundaries, and, ultimately, build a more resilient and connected cultural heritage sector in Europe. By establishing a common approach to capacity building, the ECHOES project should be able to maximise its impact and, in the longer term, offer a substantial contribution to making CH more accessible, engaging, and sustainable for future generations. 1.2 Structure of the Document The document is organised into five chapters. This introductory chapter defines the purpose and the scope of the document. Chapter 2 explores key challenges which the cultural heritage sector must address to achieve digital maturity. Chapter 3 highlights existing frameworks and key experiences from project partners that offer insight into effective strategies for fostering digital readiness and professional development. Chapter 4 presents seven high-level principles to guide the development of effective, inclusive, and sustainable capacity-building measures. Finally, Chapter 5 contextualizes these principles in relation to other tasks in the project, and offers recommendations about possible paths to implementation. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 8 2. Challenges in the Cultural Heritage Sector 2.1 Limited Resources Many cultural heritage (CH) institutions, especially smaller galleries, libraries, archives and museums operate with limited financial and human resources. The same can be said of private enterprises and community initiatives that are involved in various aspects of heritage activities including, for instance, conservation-restoration practices, cultural mediation, audience development etc. This scarcity affects their ability to: • invest in necessary technologies for digitisation and preservation, and recruit the professionals with an expertise in digitisation; • provide adequate training and professional development; and • maintain and update infrastructure to meet modern preservation standards. The lack of resources can lead to inadequate preservation practices, reduced accessibility of collections, and an inability to adopt innovative technologies that could enhance engagement with cultural heritage (see UNESCO 2015). Compounding the resource limitations faced by many cultural heritage institutions, private enterprises and community initiatives is the lack of sector-wide digital maturity ambitions and assessment tools. Institutions and their leaders often struggle to define clear digital goals or understand what specific milestones they should be aiming for. This ambiguity makes it difficult for them to define concrete digital goals or evaluate their progress in terms of digital maturity. Without a shared vision or a wellestablished framework, these stakeholders are left to navigate the digital landscape in isolation, relying on their own internal priorities and interpretations, which may not align with broader sectoral needs. Even though there are many organisations offering support, services or tools to create a digital maturity index (see, for example, McNab 2021; and Finnis and Kennedy 2022), the absence of standardised industry benchmarks in cultural heritage remains a sore point. In other sectors, benchmarks and maturity models often provide stakeholders with a roadmap for digital development, offering clear stages of progression and measurable targets. However, in the cultural heritage field, no such widely accepted models exist. This means institutions are unsure of when they have taken appropriate steps or reached a level of digital proficiency that aligns with current technological trends and sectoral expectations. The lack of these benchmarks also prevents institutions from conducting meaningful self-assessments or making informed ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 15 Efforts should also be made to highlight the impact and benefits of data reuse, such as increased visibility, enhanced collaboration, production of new knowledge and the potential for new research discoveries. Ensuring that institutions understand the long-term value of sharing data, both for their own organisational goals and for the wider CH community, is key to fostering a positive attitude towards data-sharing platforms. Encouraging greater participation in data-sharing platforms also requires addressing the motivations of institutions and CH professionals, especially those supplying valuable data. Institutions are often driven by the potential for reputational gains and organisational benefits, such as increased visibility, collaborative opportunities, or enhanced research capabilities. Recognising these motivations and aligning them with the goals of the platform is critical for fostering sustained engagement over time. 2.6 Conclusion Addressing the challenges outlined in this chapter requires coordinated, comprehensive capacity-building efforts across the CH sector. By adhering to common principles, such as those proposed in the next chapter, institutions can work together to bridge gaps in resources, skills, and infrastructure, ensuring that cultural heritage is both preserved and made accessible to diverse audiences across Europe. Creating an inclusive, interoperable, and resilient framework for the management and dissemination of cultural heritage will not only safeguard the digital future of these assets but also enhance public engagement and understanding of Europe’s rich and diverse cultural legacy. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 16 3. The Landscape of Capacity Building in ECHOES Capacity building is an essential priority for the cultural heritage (CH) sector as it grapples with growing pressures to adopt digital technologies, respond to the challenges of digital preservation, and engage with increasingly diverse audiences through innovative approaches to digital engagement. The evolving digital landscape, coupled with the sector’s inherently multidisciplinary nature, has led to the development of various frameworks and approaches aimed at strengthening institutional capabilities and enhancing individual skills. This chapter outlines the current landscape of capacity building from the point of view of the ECHOES consortium, highlighting existing frameworks and key experiences from project partners that offer insight into effective strategies for fostering digital readiness and professional development. It would be beyond the scope of this deliverable to make a truly representative industrywide overview of capacity building in Europe. Yet because of the diversity of the ECHOES consortium, we can draw upon a broad spectrum of experiences and insights that collectively reflect key trends and common practices in capacity building across the European CH sector. 3.1 Tailored Approaches Effective capacity building requires tailored approaches that consider the specific needs and contexts of different communities both in terms of cultural and disciplinary specificities. ECHOES partners have a great deal of experience designing programs to be inclusive, empowering local members and early-career professionals to take on leadership roles. By fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders—ranging from individual researchers to large institutions—DARIAH (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) emphasises the importance of context-specific solutions that address the unique challenges and needs of different communities. A key element of this effort is DARIAH-Campus, a hosting platform and discovery framework for open educational resources, designed to meet the specific needs of arts and humanities researchers. Training and education are essential for ensuring the social sustainability of research and data infrastructures because they provide users with the necessary skills to engage effectively with infrastructural tools and services. Complementing this, DARIAH’s position paper on Cultural Heritage Data from a Humanities Research Perspective (Tasovac et al. 2020) underscores the critical role of CH data in driving humanities research. DARIAH advocates for the recognition of heritage datasets as fundamental ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 17 research outputs, highlighting the need for infrastructures and skilled users that support their preservation, interoperability, and reuse. The European Research Infrastructure of Heritage Science (E-RIHS) delivers integrated access to a wide range of instrumentation, data, expertise, and technologies applied to Cultural Heritage. In order to train its community of users and partners in new scientific methods applied to CH, or train researchers on heritage-related topics and practices, it has launched Heritage Science (HS) Academy. It offers a wide range of training opportunities focusing on the study of CH objects, such as lectures, webinars, meetings, training camps, summer schools and workshops. The HS Academy is designed to complement academic or vocational training by bringing together the best practices in education from STEMs, Social Sciences and Humanities, and cultural heritage vocational training. Its annual capacity-building offer is decided by an editorial committee composed of confirmer researchers and professionals as well as early-stage researchers and users. Europeana has invested in both formal and informal capacity-building initiatives. The formal capacity building mostly encompasses the directly controllable types of capacity building, such as organisational development of the sector and institutions and the development and delivery of training. Both these activities are based on research and input given by many cultural heritage professionals from the Europeana Network Association (ENA). The components and supporting services and tools of Europeana’s training activities are gathered in the Europeana Capacity Building Framework. A few practical examples are the Europeana Academy, through which self-paced courses are offered and instructor-led training that complements these self-paced resources. The Guidelines for training development and delivery have been developed and are used for each course to ensure coherent user experiences and quality levels of the training resources. On the other hand, informal capacity building by the Europeana Foundation is done through its events, advocacy work, supporting the Europeana Network Association and activities for European Member States. 3.2 Collaboration and Partnerships Building strong partnerships and networks is crucial for sharing knowledge and resources. Collaborations between universities, research institutions, international organisations, and industry partners can enhance the reach and impact of capacitybuilding initiatives. International non-governmental organisations like the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) play a vital role in capacity building through cultural heritage documentation and the facilitation of training measures. The extensive ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 18 resources available on the ICOMOS website, including charters, doctrinal texts, and publications, offer valuable insights that can be reviewed and integrated into ECHOES tasks. As an association, ICOMOS brings together over 11,000 cultural heritage professionals in more than 130 countries. Through its National Committees, its International Scientific Committees and its Working Groups, ICOMOS is a network of experts that benefits from the interdisciplinary exchange of its members. The ICOMOS University Forum and CIPA Heritage Documentation, which offers summer schools and encourages the development of tools and practices for the recording, documentation and information management for all aspects of cultural heritage, highlight the organisation’s commitment to education and capacity building. Engaging with universities that transmit knowledge and skills related to cultural heritage or any academic domain that can be applied to cultural heritage, such as those, for instance, that form the Una Europa alliance, can provide insights into effective educational strategies and curricula. ECHOES will benefit from the collective experience of universities or other higher education institutions that participate in the project, covering diverse fields such as computer science, engineering, physics, chemistry, art history, history, and heritage conservation. Their contribution will ensure good articulation between ECHOES capacity-building principles and activities and the academic training of the next generations of professionals. In the archaeological sector, the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) has made effective use of COST Actions to support capacity building for FAIR data provision amongst European national heritage organisations and museums. The SEADDA COST Action (Saving European Archaeology from a Digital Dark Age) ran alongside the ARIADNEPlus project from 2019-23. The aim was to mitigate the loss of primary archaeological data by developing common understandings around data stewardship, building new bestpractice networks to support the preservation and open dissemination of archaeological data, and the creation of more inclusive research partnerships. It increased international awareness about the risks to the digital archaeological record and produced 45 peer-reviewed, open-access publications, providing a sustainable outlet for ongoing progress through the establishment of the ARIADNE Research Infrastructure (see, for instance, Richards et al. 2021). In the library sector, the concept of Library Labs has emerged as a significant capacitybuilding component within digital libraries. These labs provide not only data access but also training infrastructure, including tutorials, tools, and metadata information. They cater to different knowledge levels, making them suitable for both inexperienced and experienced users, as well as for professional and private use cases. By reaching out to ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 19 external data repositories and publishing source code on shared platforms like GitHub, Library Labs foster an environment of open collaboration and innovation. 3.3 Continuous Professional Development Supporting continuous professional development is essential in a sector characterised by rapid technological changes. Projects like BIBLIO and Mu.SA have been instrumental in addressing the digital skills gap in specific CH sectors. BIBLIO (Boosting digital skills and competencies for librarians in Europe) focused on boosting digital skills and competencies for librarians in Europe, analysing the library sector to highlight skills gaps and support librarians in gaining new skills and developing innovative services. It creates a digital ecosystem for skills assessment, learning offers, validation, and recognition, moving beyond a simple e-learning platform. The Mu.SA (Museum Sector Alliance) project, with NEMO as a partner, aimed to tackle the disconnection between formal education and the evolving requirements of the museum sector due to digital transformation. It addresses the shortage of digital and transferable skills by supporting the continuous professional development of museum professionals. Both projects underscore the necessity of targeted initiatives to equip CH professionals with the competencies required in a rapidly changing digital landscape. NEMO’s ongoing capacity-building programs, including trainings and webinars, have played an important role in supporting museum professionals. NEMO is committed to fostering learning exchanges and providing training opportunities at all professional levels through various activities conducted on a European scale. Every NEMO member is encouraged to participate in the Working Group Digital Transformation, which offers opportunities to exchange knowledge and explore topics related to digital advancements in museums. This working group empowers European museums to harness the full potential of digitalisation by addressing new processes, tasks, and challenges. 3.4 Measuring Impact and Effectiveness One of the common challenges in capacity building is assessing the impact of training and development initiatives. Organisations like Europeana have developed specific frameworks to tackle this issue. The Europeana Impact Framework and the accompanying Impact Playbook provide structured approaches to evaluate the outcomes of capacity-building activities. These tools help organisations understand not only the immediate effects but also the long-term benefits and areas for improvement. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 20 3.5 Conclusion The landscape of capacity building in cultural heritage is dynamic and multifaceted, reflecting the sector’s ongoing digital transformation and the diverse needs of its professionals. By embracing multiform training opportunities, leveraging collaborative networks, addressing digital skills gaps, and integrating existing principles and frameworks, members of the ECHOES consortium have a history of innovating and adapting their approaches to ensure that their capacity-building efforts are both effective and sustainable – despite the numerous challenges, which we outlined in the previous chapter. Strategies that focus on tailored approaches, inclusivity, collaboration, and continuous professional development offer promising paths forward. The collective experiences of the ECHOES consortium as a whole, and insights from various organisations and projects that our consortium members have been part of, underscore the importance of a cohesive and coordinated effort in capacity building, ultimately contributing to the resilience and vitality of the cultural heritage sector. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 21 4. Principles for Capacity Building The Capacity Building Principles described in this chapter provide a set of common, highlevel recommendations for developing effective, inclusive, and sustainable capacitybuilding resources within the ECHOES project. The ECHOES principles embody commitments to core values that inform the design, delivery, and evaluation of our capacity-building initiatives. They emphasise the importance of adaptability, fitness-forpurpose, quality, and human-centred design, ensuring that capacity-building efforts meet the diverse needs of the sector while fostering long-term growth and resilience. Operating in the domain of cultural heritage inherently involves a unique set of social responsibilities and challenges. The democratisation of heritage, its increasing recognition as a key factor for sustainable development, its fundamental role in the construction of the sense of cultural identity and social cohesion, and its contributions to innovation create profound expectations for those working in the field. In response, members of the ECHOES consortium acknowledge a foundational set of CH-specific principles introduced by the CHARTER Consortium to guide professional actions in this value-driven, socially meaningful environment. These include: • Recognising heritage in context. Capacity-building efforts should cultivate an awareness of heritage within diverse and dynamic cultural landscapes, encouraging individuals to appreciate heritage both in their environment and in broader contexts. • Respecting heritage as a common good. Effective training must instil an understanding of heritage as a collective resource, emphasizing shared responsibilities among various stakeholders. • Appreciating diverse perspectives. Acknowledging and addressing evolving and sometimes conflicting views on heritage ensures inclusive and meaningful engagement. • Engaging with diverse stakeholders. Professionals must be equipped to work effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, fostering cooperation and mutual understanding both within and across sectors. • Mitigating risks. Capacity-building measures must include strategies for safeguarding heritage against risks such as neglect, misuse, and external threats (see Corr et al., 2023 p 53-4) The capacity-building activities undertaken by the ECHOES project should also take into account the foundational principles and commitments made by public service institutions engaged in cultural heritage training and education such as the Institut national du patrimoine. These include the recognition of the need for sustainable ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 22 development, promotion of professional diversity and equality, artistic and cultural education, attention to students and people with special needs, and public service missions. By respecting these foundational commitments, the ECHOES project will aim to deliver capacity-building resources that not only enhance professional capabilities in the digital domain, which is the main goal of the project, but also reflect the broader societal value of cultural heritage. The following principles, which have been developed through extensive consultations within the consortium, will serve as a framework for developing an actionable strategy that will translate foundational commitments into practical outcomes. 4.1 Principle 1: Focus on People At its core, capacity building is about people. Capacity-building programs should measure their success not only by the technical skills imparted but also by their tangible impact on individuals and communities. By establishing and implementing clear learning outcomes, providers can ensure that training is aligned with the needs of the learners and the goals of the community. Programs should assess how participants apply their new knowledge, whether through improved workflows, shared learning, or broader community engagement. ECHOES and, by extension, the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage should encourage the creation of professional networks and peerlearning opportunities to foster collaboration and collective growth. By centring training on people, institutions can ensure that their capacity-building efforts resonate on a human level, driving both personal and professional development. 4.2 Principle 2: Strive for Excellence High-quality training is central to capacity building. ECHOES underscores the need for rigorous quality assurance mechanisms to uphold the integrity and effectiveness of training content for the heritage sector. Trainers must have expertise in technical matters, practical applications, pedagogical principles, ethics, and values to effectively operate and transfer knowledge in a digital environment. The principle of excellence is not only about disseminating knowledge but also about recognising and validating the achievements of learners, fostering a sense of accomplishment and motivation. Wherever possible, offering formal recognition through microcredentials, ECTS credits, or other certifications validates the learners’ efforts and motivates further engagement. This dual focus on quality and recognition ensures that capacity-building initiatives meet the highest standards and provide tangible benefits to participants. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 23 4.3 Principle 3: Foster Openness and Accessibility To democratise learning, ECHOES emphasises the importance of fostering openness and accessibility. Training resources should be FAIR-by-design (Filiposka et al. 2023). Open licensing should be prioritised to make training materials freely available, promoting widespread access while respecting intellectual property rights. Accessibility goes beyond open licensing; it requires adherence to accessibility standards to ensure content is usable by all, including those with disabilities. By fostering openness and ensuring accessibility, institutions can break down barriers to learning and empower a more inclusive community of CH professionals. 4.4 Principle 4: Promote Inclusion and Diversity Capacity-building initiatives in ECHOES should actively promote inclusion and diversity to ensure that a wide range of professionals within the cultural heritage (CH) sector can benefit from them. Training activities should be designed to engage a variety of participants, from archivists, curators, and researchers to software developers and policymakers, reflecting the broad spectrum of roles in the sector. Similarly, the training content should cover diverse categories of CH assets (tangible, intangible, digital etc.) in order to ensure relevance across different domains. Training measures should be available in multiple languages and formats to accommodate individuals with varying abilities and backgrounds. Capacity-building efforts should also actively include marginalised and historically disempowered communities to ensure that their unique perspectives and needs are represented and addressed. By embracing inclusivity, institutions can build a more resilient and representative CH workforce. 4.5 Principle 5: Ensure Sustainability Sustainability is fundamental to any capacity-building effort, as it ensures that training initiatives remain impactful and relevant over time. Training should be seen as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time event. Both learners and providers should commit to life-long learning, continuously updating their knowledge and skills. Establishing a robust maintenance plan is essential for the longevity and effectiveness of training resources. This includes assigning clear roles for oversight and systematically incorporating user feedback. Leveraging tools such as version control systems can facilitate the tracking of updates, streamline the management of changes, and provide transparency to the user community, fostering trust and encouraging ongoing engagement with the resources. ECHOES Project 101157364 – D5.1 Principles for Capacity Building 24 4.6 Principle 6: Provide Flexibility and Adaptability Flexibility is essential for meeting the diverse needs of learners. Training activities should offer flexible learning pathways, both in terms of duration and formats, allowing participants to choose specific modules or courses without requiring full program completion. This modular approach enables learners to focus on areas most relevant to their roles and career goals. Additionally, training content must be adaptable to different contexts, reflecting linguistic, cultural, national, regional and local nuances. This adaptability ensures that capacity-building efforts are not only effective, fit-for-purpose but also relevant to the specific environments in which they are applied. 4.7 Principle 7: Stay Relevant and Impact-Driven In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, technology is a moving target. What is cuttingedge today may become obsolete tomorrow. For this reason, providers of training and other capacity-building measures must prioritise staying relevant by continuously updating their content. This involves integrating the latest research, technological advancements, and legal frameworks, such as changes in copyright law, to ensure learners are equipped with current, applicable knowledge. Beyond simply delivering upto-date information, programs must also be designed with a clear focus on impact. They should help participants develop skills and strategies they can immediately apply in their professional contexts, driving tangible improvements in their work and their organisations. By maintaining relevance and planning for impact, capacity-building initiatives can remain effective, ensuring their long-term value in a constantly shifting environment.