Reference center: Research Center on Technology and Market Behavior X.ITE - Insight Technology Enhanced

Cultural heritage is attracting growing interest in both academia and public policy. Sectors related to cultural heritage are playing an increasingly important role in the economy, generating income and employment both directly and indirectly, especially through cultural tourism. This is especially true in countries like Italy.

Today, policymakers must develop new strategies for cultural heritage, a topic explicitly recognized both in Italy's PNRR, which allocates substantial resources to culture, and at the European Union level.

Furthermore, cultural heritage carries significant international dimensions. Trade in heritage-related objects and services is increasingly regulated at the EU and international levels, while issues concerning the return and illicit trade of antiquities have become central topics in debates on museums and the governance of cultural heritage markets.

The study of cultural heritage is also growing within DISP, as well as more broadly at Luiss. At DISP, the focus is on cultural heritage policies. The EPICH Lab will initially be based in the Department of Political Science, but it will be very open to collaborating with other areas of Luiss. It will bring together and develop various activities in the field of cultural heritage policies, thereby contributing to internal coordination and providing an external public presence.

The lab will support teaching and learning about cultural heritage, serving as a platform for organizing events and engaging students in activities related to the LM Policies and Governance in Europe (PAGE).

The lab will also promote scientific research, teaching, and training on cultural heritage policies, and support external programs and activities, such as the Luiss Cultural Heritage Initiative and Professor Sofia Ranchordas' upcoming project, “From Cultural to Living Heritage.”

The lab will draw on various disciplines, as cultural heritage is inherently interdisciplinary.