Deadline Date: July 16, 2026
The European Commission has launched the Safeguarding Europe’s Born-Digital Heritage pilot project to assess the current state of preservation and access to born-digital cultural heritage across the European Union and develop a roadmap for improving legal frameworks, policies, and best practices.
The focus areas of this initiative include assessing the share of Europe’s born-digital cultural heritage currently being preserved, mapping legal and policy frameworks related to preservation and access, identifying non-legislative factors influencing preservation practices, establishing recommendations for legislative and non-legislative measures, raising awareness about born-digital heritage preservation, supporting access to digital cultural resources, examining preservation challenges related to copyright and licensing, and promoting collaboration among cultural heritage institutions, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
The pilot project seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of born-digital heritage materials and related data across Europe. It will examine which categories of digital heritage are currently being preserved, identify gaps in preservation efforts, and determine which types of materials should be prioritized for future preservation. The assessment will cover a broad range of content, including digital art, web archives, video games, and digital content created outside cultural heritage institutions.
A key component of the project involves analysing European and national legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks that affect the preservation and accessibility of born-digital heritage. The initiative will explore how existing legislation supports or hinders preservation activities and identify opportunities for harmonisation and policy improvements across Member States.
The project will also investigate non-legislative barriers that impact preservation practices. These may include technical, financial, organisational, and cultural challenges faced by institutions responsible for preserving digital heritage. The assessment will document successful practices and innovative approaches that can be replicated across Europe.
Another important objective is to provide guidance on the creation of preservation copies of digital materials that can be legally accessed or licensed but not acquired. This work is expected to offer greater clarity to heritage institutions and stakeholders regarding preservation possibilities under existing EU legal frameworks.
The total available budget for this call is €1,985,000. The European Union will provide funding of up to 85% of the total eligible project costs, and the call is expected to support one project with a maximum grant amount of €1,985,000.
The initiative will build on existing expertise, data resources, and networks developed through preservation projects and cultural heritage initiatives, including libraries, archives, digital repositories, and the Europeana ecosystem. It aims to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders and support the development of practical solutions for long-term digital preservation.
Based on the findings, the project will develop a roadmap outlining legislative and non-legislative actions that could improve preservation and access to born-digital heritage across Europe. The roadmap will include implementation recommendations, potential policy reforms, practical tools, awareness-raising measures, and strategies to support sustainable preservation efforts.
The European Commission expects the project to improve understanding of the legal, policy, and practical challenges surrounding born-digital heritage preservation while contributing to the protection of Europe’s digital cultural record for future generations.
For more information, visit European Commission.
