On the 28th of March, the European Commission granted the legal status of European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) to the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS), making it the second research infrastructure in the social sciences to become and ERIC in 2025.

E-RIHS is an infrastructure dedicated to advancing research and innovation in heritage science, which encompasses all forms of scientific enquiry into objects, buildings and landscape sites that have cultural and/or historical importance. It draws on diverse disciplines across the arts, humanities, sciences and engineering, and focuses on enhancing the understanding, care, and sustainable use of heritage in times of global change to enrich people’s lives today and in the future.

For EHRI-S, this marks a significant milestone in its development since joining the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap in 2016. With its new status, E-RIHS strengthens its position as a key player in heritage science, both in Europe and beyond.

“We are grateful to our founding members for their unwavering support and to the European Commission for recognizing E-RIHS as a leading research infrastructure in Europe,” said Vania Virgili, interim Director General of E-RIHS. “We are now a legally established entity, with a lasting legacy and a deep-rooted commitment to advancing heritage science and delivering tangible results that help preserve and promote our shared cultural heritage for the benefit of society.”

E-RIHS offers a unique hybrid research infrastructure that provides integrated and centrally-managed access to a variety of platforms, catering to users such as public institutions, research and project teams, individual researchers, practitioners, and the private sector. Its mission is to promote an integrated approach to enhance the understanding, conservation, and appreciation of our shared cultural heritage by connecting different fields of expertise and bridging hard sciences and humanities within an interdisciplinary research environment.

Bringing together research organisations, universities, restoration centres, and cultural institutions in a unique community, E-RIHS ensures access to cutting-edge facilities and resources across Europe, including physical and digital collections, large-scale facilities for in-depth studies, mobile instrumentation for non-invasive measurements, and data and digital tools that enhance knowledge creation. Additionally, through the HS Academy, E-RIHS provides high-quality training programmes aimed at developing skills and building capacity in heritage science, all while ensuring data interoperability and compliance with FAIR principles, aligned with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).