The coordinators of the three projects funded under the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-07 held their first coordination meeting on 19 October to explore opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and joint activities. The meeting brought together representatives from the Berghof Foundation (ARTPEACE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (RE-SPHERE), and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (CIRCLE).
The meeting marked the beginning of a promising collaboration between three projects that share a common interest in the role of culture, heritage, and the arts in peacebuilding, while approaching these themes from complementary perspectives.
RE-SPHERE (Shared Places for Heritage, Encounter and Reconciliation in Europe) explores how shared religious and sacred heritage can foster reconciliation and coexistence in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies, particularly in Southeastern Europe and Ukraine. Through research, community engagement, artistic co-creation, and digital innovation, the project examines how shared sacred spaces can become resources for dialogue and peace rather than sources of division.
CIRCLE (Creative Interfaith and Restorative peaCebuilding in artful Learning spaces and placEs) investigates how culture, religion, arts-based learning, and restorative approaches can be brought together to support dialogue and peacebuilding. The project develops and tests innovative interventions in cultural institutions and community spaces, with a particular focus on engaging young people.
During the meeting, the teams identified several opportunities for collaboration, including joint events, co-authored publications, coordinated dissemination activities, and the exchange of research findings and methodological approaches. Discussions also focused on ways to align the development and dissemination of practical outputs, such as training materials, toolkits, and policy-oriented resources, to maximise their reach and impact.
This type of collaboration, known as clustering, is strongly encouraged by the European Commission. By sharing knowledge, networks, and expertise, projects can strengthen their collective impact, build closer connections with relevant stakeholders, and generate insights that extend beyond the scope of any individual initiatives.
ARTPEACE looks forward to continuing this exchange in the coming years and building a strong community of practice with RE-SPHERE and CIRCLE. Together, the three projects aim to advance understanding of how culture, heritage, and the arts can contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation, and conflict transformation across diverse contexts.