Call for expression of interest for the establishment of a pool of experts as part of the Cultural Heritage in Action Project

In the context of the Cultural Heritage in Action project, Eurocities asbl (as project leader) is looking for high-level experts with different backgrounds (academia, consultancy, international organisations or local administrations) to complete a consortium team bringing together a unique experience of working with cities, regions and stakeholders on cultural heritage.  

Objectives and scope of this call for expression of interest 

We are looking for external experts to work with us on specific peer-learning activities to be hosted as part of Cultural Heritage in Action; Cultural Heritage in Action offers a unique opportunity to help cities, regions and stakeholders build in-house expertise and make the most of cultural heritage opportunities, exchange good and bad practices, and strengthen networking between them.  

The objective of this call is to create a pool of experts able to provide specific support for cities, regions and stakeholders to build this expertise. In our view this should be done by making the most of the expertise coming directly from cities, regions and stakeholders but also by using external expertise. 

External experts will be selected based on their knowledge of the topics covered in the scheme and on their experience in working with local and regional governments. In particular, selected external experts should have extensive experience and expertise in cultural heritage policies and urban/regional development as well as coaching, facilitation, moderation and audience engagement methods. 

Selection criteria 

Responses to the call will be examined by the Cultural Heritage in Action consortium and the selection will be made based on several criteria: 

• General quality of the response and attention paid to the application
• Relevance of the provided CV
• Relevance of the professional experience
• Strong knowledge and practice of tools and methods applied to exchange and learning processes in transnational cooperation contexts
• Ability to present and capture knowledge in an engaging way
• Gender balance
• Geographical balance and knowledge of different European contexts

The final selection of the pool of experts will be validated by the European Commission as funder of the Cultural Heritage in Action project.  

Background information on Cultural Heritage in Action 

Cultural Heritage in Action is one of the actions of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage of the European Commission. Since 2020, Cultural Heritage in Action has empowered cities and regions to strengthen their cultural heritage policies and initiatives as well as develop innovative solutions to preserve cultural heritage assets. 

Across the European Union, cultural heritage constitutes an important asset for economy, tourism, for regional competitiveness, as well as being able to shape the identities of cities and regions, while positively affecting wellbeing and quality of life and contributing to social cohesion. This prominent role of cultural heritage as a cornerstone of local and regional development is reflected through strong citizens’ support for cultural heritage and through continuous efforts from the European Union to support heritage. 

Eurocities, in partnership with KEA, ERRIN, Europa Nostra and the Architects Council of Europe, has been selected by the European Commission to implement Cultural Heritage in Action. The project is funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme until January 2023.  

In 2022-2023, three main dimensions are to be explored:  

• Recovery and resilience through cultural heritage in a post-pandemic world 
• Cultural heritage for local sustainable development 
• Governance and financing: new roles for local and regional authorities 

For more information about the three dimensions, please read this concept note. 

We have produced so far a catalogue of 32 good practices from EU cities, regions, urban, non-urban and rural areas, organised 10 online peer-learning visits bringing together 20+ participants per visit and produced 39 videos presenting practices from online host cities and regions. We have also published an interactive online publication.  

Until January 2023, we will enrich our catalogue with 30 more good practices from EU cities, regions, urban, non-urban and rural areas and organise a set of peer-learning activities, including five onsite peer learning visits.  

We are confident we can organise onsite visits now, paying attention to the health  regulations in place and keeping an eye on the Covid-19 situation throughout Europe. However, the consortium reserves the right to change the visits and turn them online if the health situation worsens or if regulations change and the safety of guests, participants and project members is no longer guaranteed. 

Cultural Heritage in Action’s peer learning activities

In 2022, five onsite peer-learning visits will be part of the catalogue of peer-learning activities offered by Cultural Heritage in Action. Each onsite visit will last three days and two nights and will combine meetings with local policy makers and stakeholders, site visits and solution-building workshops. The working language during the visits will be English. These onsite visits will be followed by two two-hour online workshops to continue and further the peer-learning process among European cities and regions.  

Objectives and formats 

Peer-learning visits are an opportunity for experts, decisionmakers and stakeholders to visit another city/region and see first-hand how it has successfully implemented policies and projects. Visits will be organised by host cities/regions in cooperation with members of the consortium implementing Cultural Heritage in Action. About 25 participants, who will be selected through calls for interest in 2022, will be able to attend each visit. Cultural Heritage in Action’s peer learning visits will take place between March and November 2022 and will be organised by the project, hosts cities/regions and experts.

To continue the peer-learning experience after the visit, a number of online activities will be organised with the hosts, participants and experts: 

• An online deep-diving session: online follow-up workshop to replicate local example(s), one month after the onsite visit. Short (max. 2.5-hours), open to the group of selected participants and external stakeholders (and potentially to other interested participants) with the involvement of experts who attended the onsite visit. The objective is to come back to one specific practice presented during the onsite visit and discuss more in depth its transferable aspects. Participants come back on the lessons learnt from the visit and expose them to external participants. 

• An online monitoring session: a one-hour workshop to follow up on transferability and replication of practices in the participants’ cities/regions. Open to the same group of participants who took part in the onsite visit, moderated by experts. The session is based on participants’ feedback report and follows up on their implementation plans after their visit to the host city/region. 

Role of external experts during the peer learning visits

Selected experts will provide expertise before, during and after the thematic peer-learning visit. They will: 

Before the visit 

• Work together with the host city/region and consortium to finalise the programme of the visit
• Take part in preparatory meetings and in preparatory webinars with participants 
• Provide input on the theme of the visit for the background paper that will be sent to participants prior to the visit

During the visit

• Bring expertise during discussion and complement local examples presented with external insights
• Provide individual advice to participants who have specific issues to tackle in their city/region
• Provide insights on specific topics linked to cultural heritage and local/regional development (to be determined for each visit)
• Bring practical knowledge about specific topics and how to structure/organise necessary processes to make sure that strategies and actions will be implemented 
• Act as facilitator, as ‘critical friend’ to ensure that new ideas emerge through a positive dialogue; moderate and facilitate discussions; ensure that all delegates have opportunities to ask questions and to gain knowledge
• Co-organise with experts from the consortium breakout sessions for delegates to focus on specific issues and develop solutions together
• Chair a concluding session allowing delegates to share their main learning points 

After the visit 

• Draft a peer learning visit report (10-15 pages) summarising the discussions and lessons learnt during the visit, in cooperation with consortium members who attended the visit
• Contribute to dissemination of information on the visit and its results 
• Co-organise, participate in and provide insights, advice and knowledge during the programmed online deep-diving session and online monitoring session following each onsite peer-learning visit
• After the last peer-learning visit has taken place, experts will support the drafting of a thematic analysis (15-20 pages). The thematic analysis will draw on the expertise of the experts involved in the project activities and will cluster the findings of the visits

If peer learning visits cannot take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, experts will be asked to prepare, participate, and provide expertise during alternative activities (online peer learning visits) to be developed by the consortium, in agreement with the European Commission. 

Timeline

Once the calendar of visits is available, with a clear focus and themes for each visit, the consortium will organise matchmaking between hosts cities and regions and experts, according to their field of expertise and availability at the time of the visit. This will ensure that participants benefit from the presence of the most knowledgeable experts. Each of the experts involved in the project will be allocated a number of peer-learning visits he/she will be involved in. 

Selected experts will be provided with detailed guidelines of what their role is before, during and after each visit as well as complimentary information on the local context of their allocated peer learning visit(s), including background information on the host city and presented cases during the visit, agenda, list of involved stakeholders and list of participants from European cities and regions. 

Contract, budget and fees for external experts

Selected experts will be employed as sub-contractors and asked to sign a subcontracting agreement with Eurocities asbl as leader of the Cultural Heritage in Action project.

Experts are entitled to a payment of a fixed price of €750.00 (VAT excluded) in the form of a lump sum for each full working day spent assisting the Cultural Heritage in Action project, i.e., for attending the meetings or taking part in the visits or for the preparatory work.

The number of working days to be considered for the performance of the different tasks will be based on the following: 

The precise number of days will be specified in the subcontracting agreement. 

Travel and accommodation for peer learning visits shall be arranged by Eurocities. Each trip has a maximum budget of up to €650.00 that includes travel (round trip) and accommodation (2-3 nights). For the reimbursement of any subsistence costs, the subcontractor will use a reimbursement form provided by Eurocities and submit it together with all the supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, tickets, boarding passes, etc.). Such costs should be claimed from the principal contractor after each trip. Detailed guidelines on what the project can or cannot cover and the exact reimbursement procedure will be provided. 

Deadline 

Please send the completed questionnaire below to culturalheritageinaction@eurocities.eu before 11 February 2022. We will come back to you when we receive your contribution and inform you of the results two to three weeks after the deadline. 

Any question? Contact us culturalheritageinaction@eurocities.eu  

General Data Protection Regulation: please find all useful information here.

APPLICATION FORM 

Download the application form in Word Document format here.

Personal Information 

Professional skills 

Your professional experience (including number of years of experience) should be detailed in a Europass CV attached to this form (PDF or link). Template to create a Europass CV can be found here. 

Do you have at least 10 years of substantial experience and expertise in the culture and cultural heritage development of cities and regions? Yes/No 

Have you worked in one or more of the fields below? 

• ☐Cultural Heritage 
• ☐ Arts and culture
• ☐ Architecture 
• ☐ Urban strategic planning  
• ☐ Local governance  
• ☐ Participatory governance
• ☐ Local economic development  
• ☐ Research, innovation and knowledge economy  
• ☐ Environmental issues  
• ☐ EU level 
• ☐ National level
• ☐ Regional level
• ☐ Local level 

If any other field(s), please specify: 

Provide information on your educational and professional background related to the selected fields. Describe the type of activities you have been involved in (research, project delivery, teaching, contribution to a publication, etc.) (max. 500 words). 

Describe your experiences in exchange and peer learning activities at transnational level. Describe at least two relevant examples of transnational projects in which you have been involved and your role in adapting methods for exchange and learning processes. Provide at least two relevant examples of thematic inputs (reports, position papers, briefings etc.) produced to feed into the learning process at transnational level. Examples can be sent as attachments or external links to your application form (max. 500 words). 

Language level and communication skills

The language skills should be detailed in the Europass CV attached to this form (PDF or link). 

Provide evidence of your capacity to communicate fluently in English (oral and written). (max. 150 words)

Provide at least one relevant example of situations where you have been in charge of communicating complex concepts to non-English speakers. Provide examples of supports used for such communication (presentations, YouTube links, PREZI, etc.). Examples can be sent as attachments or external links to your application form (max. 150 words). 

Provide at least 2 relevant examples of documents produced to capture the knowledge and experiences exchanged at transnational level (e.g. meeting reports, case studies, etc). Examples can be sent as attachments or external links to your application form (max. 150 words).

Motivation 

Why are you applying for the position of external expert in the Cultural Heritage in Action project? In what way do you see your expertise bringing an added value to the project’s peer learning activities for European cities and regions? (max. 500 words) 

Availability 

Would you be able to devote an appropriate number of working days to the project in 2022? Yes/No 

The peer learning visits will take place between March and November 2022. Are there periods of time when you will NOT be available?  

Would you agree for your contact details and CV to be kept in a Eurocities database and be recontacted if any future opportunities, projects or purposes arise? Yes/No 

References 

Candidate experts shall indicate minimum of two references, providing:  

• Name of organisation 
• Contact person
• Job title 
• Relationship to project/programme applicant worked on  
• Tel:  
• Email:  

Do not forget to send us your Europass CV (PDF or link) together with this application form. Any question? Contact us culturalheritageinaction@eurocities.eu