ECCCH ARXIVE Consortium Holds First Three-Day Onsite Plenary Meeting in Hannover
ARXIVE, one of the ECCCH sister projects, held its first three-day onsite plenary meeting in Hannover, bringing project partners together in person to review progress, align on upcoming activities, and strengthen collaboration across the cultural heritage project.
The meeting marked an important milestone for ARXIVE, the project contributing to the development of innovative and interoperable digital tools for cultural heritage, archaeology, and the wider ECCCH Cultural Heritage Cloud community.
Over three days, partners exchanged updates across key areas of the project, including technical development, pilot planning, platform integration, dissemination, capacity building, sustainability, and project coordination. The onsite format provided an important opportunity to connect work package activities, clarify next steps, and support a shared vision for ARXIVE’s contribution to digital cultural heritage innovation.
As ARXIVE Coordinator Alexandra Garatzogianni stated, “large-scale European research infrastructures are built not only through scientific excellence and technical innovation, but through sustained collaboration across communities with multidisciplinary expertise, practices, vocabularies, and institutional realities. One of the strongest reflections from our meeting was the importance of creating meaningful spaces where GLAM institutions, researchers, infrastructure providers, and technology communities can exchange perspectives, align methodologies, and co-design solutions from the beginning. ARXIVE has been designed with this principle at its core. Through our pilot activities and upcoming FSTP programme, we aim to ensure that innovation is developed together with the cultural heritage community, validated in real-world contexts, and shaped around the needs of those who will ultimately use and sustain these solutions.”
Reflecting on this milestone, ARXIVE Coordinator Alexandra Garatzogianni highlighted that the success of European cultural heritage infrastructures will depend not only on technological innovation, but on the strength of the communities built around them: “Cultural heritage infrastructures are not built by technology alone. They are built by communities coming together around shared knowledge, shared standards, and a shared vision for the future. Their long-term value will be measured not only by the tools we develop, but by our ability to create trusted environments where institutions, researchers, and communities can collaborate, exchange knowledge, and ensure that cultural heritage remains accessible, connected, and meaningful for generations to come.” She added “I am deeply grateful to all ARXIVE partners for their commitment, openness, and expertise. The diversity of knowledge across archaeology, libraries, digital humanities, research infrastructures, and technology communities is one of the consortium’s greatest strengths. We also greatly appreciate the continued collaboration with ECHOES and the wider ECCCH community. Their work in establishing a shared European framework for cultural heritage is essential in creating the foundations for a more connected, collaborative, and sustainable digital future.”
“As we move forward, our ambition extends beyond the delivery of individual tools. It is about contributing to a long-term cultural heritage ecosystem where knowledge can remain connected, discoverable, reusable, and meaningful for future generations. The journey ahead is ambitious, but the foundations are strong.“
Day 1: Project Progress, Technical Development, and Sustainability
The first day of the ARXIVE plenary meeting opened with a welcome and introduction by coordinator Alexandra Garatzogianni and deputy coordinator Michael Fribus of LUH, followed by a project status overview. This session provided the consortium with a clear picture of progress achieved so far and the priorities for the next phase of the project.
Partners then moved into dedicated work package sessions, covering annotated bibliography tools design and development, integration and deployment with ECCCH and other platforms, dissemination, communication, exploitation and sustainability, as well as FSTP, capacity building, workshops, and the Digital Innovation Toolkit.
The day concluded with closing remarks and an informal Walk & Talk, allowing partners to continue discussions, exchange ideas, and build stronger connections beyond the formal agenda.
Day 2: CHO Authoring Tools, Pilot Planning, and Community Engagement
The second day focused on technical exchange, use-case pilot planning, and alignment on upcoming project activities.
Discussions covered key areas of ARXIVE’s work, including CHO authoring tools design and development, use-case pilot testing, training materials, fieldwork requirements elicitation, and local community engagement. These sessions helped connect technical development with practical needs from the cultural heritage and archaeology sectors.
By bringing together different areas of expertise, the second plenary day supported stronger coordination between digital tool development, field requirements, and community-oriented activities.
Day 3: Coordination, General Assembly, and Research Brainstorming
The third and final day focused on project coordination, management, and research exchange. The programme included a session on WP8 Coordination and Project Management, together with the General Assembly Meeting.
A dedicated research brainstorming session followed. This exchange created space for partners to explore research connections, future opportunities, and potential synergies relevant to ARXIVE’s work.
The meeting closed with final reflections and a shared commitment to the next steps of the project.
A Key Milestone for ARXIVE and the ECCCH Cultural Heritage Cloud Community
The first ARXIVE onsite plenary meeting in Hannover was a productive and important milestone for the project. It strengthened collaboration across the consortium, supported alignment between technical and strategic activities, and reinforced ARXIVE’s role in advancing interoperable digital solutions for cultural heritage and archaeology.
By connecting project partners, work packages, pilots, and research perspectives, the meeting helped build momentum for ARXIVE’s continued contribution to the ECCCH Cultural Heritage Cloud community.
Learn more about ARXIVE: https://arxive-eccch.eu/