Digital cultural heritage as a societal resource
This project explores how Estonia's rich digital heritage can empower communities, support sustainability, and foster creative, social, and green innovation.
Estonian Ministry of Culture Project KUM-TA43 (2024-2026)
Project Participants from ERM: Pille Runnel (Research Director), Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt (Senior Researcher / Professor of Media and Communication at Malmö University), Agnes Aljas (Research Secretary), Mahendra Mahey (Junior Researcher)
Project Partners: Kai Pata (Professor of Adult Education and Non-Formal Learning at Tallinn University), Oleksandr Cherednychenko (Doctoral Student at Tallinn University)
Beyond Preservation: Why Digital Heritage Matters Now
Estonia has already digitised a significant portion of its museum collections. This significant digital archive represents more than just historical memory. It is a social resource with untapped potential. As global societies grapple with economic volatility, cultural polarisation, and the challenges of technological acceleration, heritage can offer grounding, connection, and resilience.
But this potential is only realised when digital cultural heritage is actively used, not just stored.
Museums are vital to this transition. When they use their digital assets to serve the public through education, co-creation, or digital storytelling, they help people navigate change. This project takes that mission seriously: we focus not on digitisation for its own sake, but on how digital heritage can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society.
A new approach to digital heritage application
International policy, such as the UNESCO and Faro conventions, urges us to prioritise people-centred heritage and equitable access. Yet, in practice, heritage institutions still place more emphasis on safeguarding their resources than on activating them. Digitisation tends to stop at the archive and preservation stage. What's missing is an understanding of how digital heritage can fuel civic participation, innovation, and social transformation.
This project addresses that gap by shifting attention to practical applications. We ask: How can museums and communities co-create digital experiences that matter? What methods help turn data into dialogue and archives into action? What kind of skills do heritage professionals need to empower heritage users? Who are the users and what do they do with digital heritage, beyond academics, researchers and students?
Our approach embraces Estonia’s strength in creative experimentation and digital innovation. Rather than replicating commercial tech models, we support original uses of digital heritage.
Empowering societal change through digital co-creation
Digital heritage is a powerful tool for education, storytelling, and collaboration. We believe that digital heritage can and should be used in:
- Data-informed museum development
- Participatory design and citizen science
- Education across formal and informal sectors
- Cross-sectoral collaboration
To make this possible, the project will develop and test co-creation methods and observe uses of digital cultural heritage. We aim to build a practical toolbox that helps cultural professionals and communities alike to engage with digital heritage in ways that are socially relevant and sustainable.
From theory to practice: what the project will deliver
The project is structured around experimentation and collaborative development. Our key outputs will include:
- A methodological toolbox offering practical guidance to museums, educators, and designers.
- Analytical insights into how digital heritage supports social innovation and helps mediate transitions: social, green, and digital.
Key takeaways
- Estonia’s digital museum collections are a rich but underused public resource.
- The project focuses on using digital heritage, not digitising it.
- Co-creation and experimentation are at the heart of our methodology, emphasising societal relevance and impact.
- Outputs include experimental prototypes and a toolbox tailored for heritage professionals