EU recognises cultural heritage as a unique and non-renewable resource

The European Union is leading the way in recognising the importance of cultural heritage as a resource for social and economic development.

At a historic meeting on 21st May 2014 reported by Europa Nostra, it adopted conclusions on cultural heritage as a vital resource for the first time. Europa Nostra report,

These conclusions adopt a holistic policy approach by the EU to cultural heritage – tangible, intangible or digital – recognising it as a unique and non-renewable resource and a major asset for Europe and for the entire European project. The conclusions emphasize the important role that cultural heritage plays in creating and enhancing social capital, as well as its important economic impact and its specific role in achieving the Europe 2020 strategy goals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth because of its social and economic impact and its key contribution to environmental sustainability.

The conclusions call for more resources to be invested in cultural heritage and for the mainstreaming of cultural heritage in national and European policies.

Read more: http://www.europanostra.org/news/460/.

Europa Nostra is ‘the voice for cultural heritage in Europe’.

AIM developing new social and environmental impacts toolkit – can you help with research?

AIM has appointed DC Research to research the expansion of the successful and much-used AIM Economic Impact Toolkit to include social and environmental questions.  This work, supported by Arts Council England (ACE), will review recent thinking and approaches to measuring social and environmental impact in museums. 

A social and environmental impact evaluation/assessment framework will be developed, and piloted with a small number of AIM member museums before producing a report and toolkit that will complement the Economic Impact Toolkit.  

As part of this, DC Research is keen to be made aware of any reports, papers and other material that AIM members have produced giving evidence of how independent museums create social and environmental impacts.  This might include evidence you have prepared for funders and wider advocacy audiences, research you have participated in, case studies, or research or articles you have found helpful and that DC Research should be made aware of. 

Please share anything you think is relevant and helpful with Jonathan Durnin at jon@dcresearch.co.uk, tel 0116 259 2390.

Updated AIM Economic Impact Toolkit Launched

Since it was first published in 2010 the AIM Economic Impact Toolkit has helped museums all around the UK demonstrate the value they bring to their local economies. Now it has been updated and re-launched for 2014 with the latest data and with more local information, where available.

With museums needing to make the case for their value in every way they can, the AIM Economic Toolkit has never been more needed. Created by DC Research (and updated by them in 2014 pro bono), it enables museums to assess the economic impact of their museum through tourism, employment and spend on goods and services. It has been used by Local Authority museums as well as by independent ones. In general, the approach taken to the assessment is adopted and adapted from the HM Treasury’s ‘Green Book’ approach, using English Partnership’s Additionality Guidance (3rd edition, 2008), and where relevant, Scottish Enterprise’s Additionality & Economic Impact Assessment Guidance Note (2008).

The report published in 2010, alongside the original toolkit, found that:

• Across the independent museum sector visitors (estimated to be over 9 million) represented around £364 million of gross visitor impacts.
• At least £124 million of direct, indirect and induced impacts as a result of spending on goods and services by independent museums (although impact may be as high as £394 million).
• At least 5,800 full time equivalent direct, indirect and induced jobs supported by the sector, equivalent to a further £122 million (although impact might be as high as 10,500 jobs, equivalent to £219 million.)
• Taken together, the total impact of the independent museum sector is estimated to be in the order of at least £610 million (although this could be as high as £930 million. 

In many regions museums have grouped together to demonstrate their collective economic impact, often coordinated by Museum Development Officers (MDOs). In the Marches Network, MDOs transferred the regional information into a really simple spreadsheet which required no expertise to complete and was suitable for museums of any size. Since then they have supported individual museums to use the tool in order to make their case and are now updating their spreadsheet with 2014 data.