Company managing a cultural heritage and fine crafts platform is looking to join consortia for Erasmus+ or other relevant funding calls

The Brussels-based Belgian company founded in 2013 operates a platform that gathers European professionals and other stakeholders in the area of traditional craftsmanship, cultural heritage restoration and fine crafts. Currently the market is fragmented and stakeholders have a hard time getting the word out and reaching interested customers and other actors. The company aims at supporting these professions, creating cross fertilization, raising awareness about the value of knowhow for future cultural heritage and for European economy and to supporting the transmission of skills to future generations as well as to adults. The action is mainly based on the implementation of the portal which centralizes contents from all the above-mentioned sectors, creating exchanges, collecting, and disseminating information and data for stakeholder's further use. The portal is in 4 languages and plans to cover more European languages to be more accessible to European citizens. It actually presents more than 1600 professionals, most based in France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Belgium. They are specialized in the work of wood, metals, ceramic, textile, stone, painting and are connected with the sectors of traditional building, design, interior design, fashion, art, music and restoration. Other specific sections of the portal are dedicated to present trainings offers in workshops and schools, to highlight specific knowhow and professions, to announce events from the sector, and to storytelling. The platform has a section dedicated to partners in which other stakeholders from the sector can upload directly information concerning their activity and mission. Associations, foundations, chamber of trades, schools and academies are already using the platform to disseminate information about their activity. The organisation is looking for a technical cooperation agreement or a research cooperation agreement in order to join an existing consortium in order to further develop the platform content and use their technology and expertise within a project. As a partner in a consortium, the company can provide the following expertise: • Bringing solutions to microbusinesses of the crafts and restoration sector • Raising awareness throughout Europe on the value of crafts • Safeguarding intangible heritage • Promoting training opportunities for knowledge transfer • Collecting data and best practices from the sector • Disseminating and communicating Types of stakeholder best represented by the platform are European professional craftsmen and restorers, craftsmanship associations, foundations, schools, academies and other training centres, public organisations and players in favor of social inclusion.