RECHARGE is a Horizon Europe project dedicated to using participation as a driving force to build resilience in cultural heritage organisations by developing sustainable, innovative business models. Over the past three years, it has supported a constellation of Living Labs across Europe, each experimenting with new ways of engaging audiences and reimagining cultural value.
The final event, hosted at the Museo del Tessuto in Prato, marks the culmination of this journey. Bringing together cultural practitioners, researchers, and policy experts, it will present key outcomes from the project - including the RECHARGE Playbook and policy recommendations - while opening a wider conversation on the future of participatory culture in Europe.

Draft Programme

09:30 - 10:00 Arrival & Registration

10:00 - 10:15 Setting the stage. Opening words from Filippo Guarini (Museo del Tessuto di Prato) and local authorities.
10:15 - 10:30 Why RECHARGE? A Vision for Cultural Innovation. Trilce Navarrete (Erasmus University Rotterdam) introduces the project’s purpose and ambitions.
10:30 – 11:15 Living Labs in Focus: Stories from the Ground. Nine rapid-fire presentations showcasing diverse experiences.

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00 The Playbook Unpacked: Real Experiences from the Labs. Úna Hussey (The Hunt Museum), Nadia Nadesan (Platoniq), Gabrielle Aguilar van Gend and Kelly Hazejager (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision) and the Living Labs bring the RECHARGE Playbook to life.

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch and free visit to the Museum and the running exhibiitons

14:00 – 14:45 Making It Work: Exploring Business Models. A practical session hosted by Ragnar Siil (Creativity Lab).
14:45 – 15:00 What We’ve Learned: Research Insights. Key findings from Luis Cesar Herrero Prieto (Universidad de Valladolid)
15:00 – 15:45 From Lab to Legacy: Final Policy Recommendations to Recharge Participation in the Cultural Sector. Isabel Berigo and Kelly Hazejager (Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision) presents the RECHARGE takeaways and proposals.

15:45 – 16:00 Coffee break

16:00 – 16:45 Reimagining Cultural Policy. Keynote by Pier Luigi Sacco (University of Chieti-Pescara)
16:45 - 17:45 Closing the Circle - Reflections and final thoughts
Roundtable moderated by Carlotta Scioldo (Erasmus University Rotterdam) with contributions from: Elena Pianea (Director of Cultural Heritage, Institutions, Activities, and Sport for the Tuscany Region); Cristina Da Milano (ECCOM); Francesca Velani (PromoPA); Pier Luigi Sacco (University of Chieti-Pescara), Lars Ebert (Culture Action Europe) [TBC], et al.

17:45 End of the day