Eu project
Description
Synergetic Action
CREAMARE is a co-funded EU project with 7 partners across Italy, Greece, Croatia, Hungary & Spain, aiming to bring together cultural institutions, creative professionals, researchers, and tech experts to co-produce digital applications and a 3D serious game focused on Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Presentation of TOURAL project in CREAMARE partners meeting in Zagreb (Croatia) 22 & 23 of May 2024 and in other 2 projects in a dedicated session. Together, these projects promote sustainable development, innovative art and cultural tourism.
SEACHANGE is a synergetic alliance brought together to unlock the richness of oceanic history. Funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant Horizon 2020 programme, this 6-year project combines interdisciplinary research approaches to quantify the impact of major cultural transitions on marine ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, setting new baselines for understanding ocean environmental change.
During the dedicated session organised by the CREAMARE Project, the invited projects TOURAL, Sea Change and E-ROUTES highlighted the value of cooperation among cultural and creative initiatives. With contributions from a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Media RH and the Creative Europe Desk, the discussion underlined the importance of collaboration at the European level.
E-ROUTES is a co-funded EU project that introduces a new approach to presenting European travel routes by drawing on GLAM holdings and artistic materials that reflect shared cultural ties among the participating countries. The project brings together partners from four countries: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.
During the dedicated session organised by the CREAMARE Project, the invited projects TOURAL, Sea Change and E-ROUTES highlighted the value of cooperation among cultural and creative initiatives. With contributions from a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Media RH and the Creative Europe Desk, the discussion underlined the importance of collaboration at the European level.
BCThubs is an Horizon Eu project with 15 partners from Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, and Italy, aiming to establish permanent Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hubs in the participating Widening countries. These hubs support innovative solutions and products for the sustainable protection, restoration, valorisation, management, accessibility, and promotion of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH).
TOURAL project was presented during the “Widening the Big Blue Horizon” International Conference, held December 4–6, 2024 in a talk titled “The TOURAL project: Participatory approaches & multidimensional models fostering Underwater Cultural Heritage as a corroborating enabler for sustainable tourism development in rural regions.”
SECreTour is a co-funded EU project with partners across Europe, aiming to promote sustainable, engaging, and creative tourism as a driver for a better future in rural and remote areas. Launched on 1 March 2024, the three-year project focuses on strengthening cultural tourism in Europe’s peripheries through research, innovation, and community collaboration. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe program of the European Commission.
TOURAL participated in the EuroMed Conference, held in Cyprus from 2–4 December 2024 and organized by SECRETour. Our collaboration includes email communications, survey dissemination, joint meetings, and the co-development of policy briefs.
SECreTour actively participated in the international conference in Aix-en-Provence, contributing both through a presentation in the TOURAL Special Session and by presenting its project in the Cluster Corner poster session.
GOV4ALL (Governance and business models for living labs: Rural regeneration hubs for tackling soil health challenges in the Mediterranean region) is an EU co-funded project focused on the transformation of soil management practices through the creation and monitoring of living labs and rural regeneration hubs. Coordinated by Spanish company SAE Innova, brings together 36 partners from 7 countries.
TOURAL participated in the Thyrea Living Lab, held on 8–9 February 2025, organized within the GOV4ALL project. Our collaboration highlights the strong synergy between GOV4ALL and TOURAL, focusing on sustainable models in agriculture and tourism.
ecoRoute is a co-funded EU project with 9 partners from Greece, France, Portugal, the Azores, Madeira, and Martinique. The project receives funding from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) of the European Union. ecoRoute aims to design and implement a multidimensional and integrated approach to foster a smart Underwater Cultural & Nature Tourism (UCNT) offer in the participating Outermost Regions.
TOURAL, ecoRoute, and uBlueTec projects jointly contributed to the International Conference in Aix-en-Provence as a key synergetic action that highlights their shared commitment to sustainable and innovative underwater tourism. Through this collaboration, the three projects brought together expertise on cultural and natural heritage, blue economy development, and technological innovation, fostering dialogue on accessibility, climate challenges, and new skills for the next generation, while promoting integrated approaches to tourism growth across coastal, rural, and underwater environments.
uBlueTec project is an EU-funded initiative under the EMFAF programme that aims to advance skills development in the blue economy through an innovative triple transition approach, integrating green, digital, and blue competencies. Bringing together partners from across Europe, uBlueTec focuses on designing and validating training models that equip individuals with expertise in underwater technologies, supporting key sectors such as offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biodiversity protection, and underwater cultural heritage. By fostering collaboration between academia, vocational training providers, and industry, the project addresses critical skills gaps and contributes to building a resilient, sustainable, and technologically driven blue economy.
TOURAL, ecoRoute, and uBlueTec projects jointly contributed to the International Conference in Aix-en-Provence as a key synergetic action that highlights their shared commitment to sustainable and innovative underwater tourism. Through this collaboration, the three projects brought together expertise on cultural and natural heritage, blue economy development, and technological innovation, fostering dialogue on accessibility, climate challenges, and new skills for the next generation, while promoting integrated approaches to tourism growth across coastal, rural, and underwater environments.
BRIDGE-BS is an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project with 31 partners from 14 countries, advancing knowledge and research for a sustainable and climate-neutral Black Sea. The project aims to co-develop Blue Growth pathways under multiple stressors through the sustainable use of ecosystem services. To achieve this, BRIDGE-BS is developing an ecosystem-based management framework that supports policy uptake and fosters active citizen engagement.
TOURAL was invited to participate as an innovative initiative in a series of three upskilling webinars entitled ‘Upskilling Policy-Makers to Support Science-Based Policy-Making on Sustainable Tourism Models: Understanding New Tourism Models in a Changing Era.’ The webinars aim to help decision-makers and policy stakeholders acquire new knowledge on tourism-related issues.
ART4SEA project (CREA-CULT-2022-COOP managed by EACEA) is an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together artists, scientists, creative professionals, and digital technology experts to foster ocean literacy and inspire more sustainable relationships with the marine environment. Contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, ART4SEA combines art, science, and immersive technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality to engage the public and promote ocean conservation. Through artist residencies in Mediterranean islands Ustica, Alonissos, and Gozo, the project creates both physical and digital artworks that are integrated into natural and underwater landscapes, forming open-air and virtual museums that raise awareness and encourage collective action for ocean protection.
TOURAL hosted the ART4SEA event at the Knowledge Awareness Center in Alonissos, featuring an exhibition and digital material on Ocean Literacy and Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH). The event took place on 27–28 June 2025 on Alonissos Island.
CULTURALITY project aims to promote cultural and creative tourism activities to aid the sustainable development of rural areas, encouraging job creation and population settlement. By researching the cultural heritage, including artisan material culture (techniques, materials, patterns, and decorative elements) and intangible culture (music, oral knowledge, and culinary traditions), the project will foster non-seasonal tourism. It will cater to local communities’ needs, focusing on at-risk groups like women, the elderly, and youth, involving international multidisciplinary teams specializing in digital heritage, research, communication and dissemination. The emphasis will be on constant collaboration and sharing of experiences to enhance collective knowledge and ensure optimal results.
CULTURALITY was invited to participate in the TOURAL Special Session at the international conference in Aix-en-Provence, contributing its expertise on creative and experiential tourism in rural and remote areas. Together with TOURAL, SECreTour, and CROCUS, this formed a synergetic action that highlighted complementary approaches to sustainable tourism development, fostered knowledge exchange, and addressed shared challenges in cultural and creative tourism. The collaboration was further reinforced through the Cluster Corner poster session, where CULTURALITY presented its initiatives alongside the other projects, showcasing joint efforts and promoting cohesion within the Horizon Europe cultural and creative tourism cluster.
CROCUS project is a Horizon Europe initiative focused on fostering sustainable and inclusive cultural and creative tourism in rural and remote areas across Europe. Addressing key challenges such as developing place-specific business models, ensuring balanced tourism growth, and promoting cross-border cooperation, CROCUS implements eight cross-border living labs to prototype 16 sustainable tourism business models. The project also develops macro-regional and cross-border policy scenarios for the Baltic Sea, Adriatic-Ionian, Alpine, and Danube regions, while synthesizing knowledge and tools that can be applied broadly to support resilient cultural tourism.
CROCUS participated in the Cluster Corner poster session alongside TOURAL, SECreTour, and CULTURALITY, presenting its project’s initiatives and results. This joint presence highlighted the synergetic collaboration among the Horizon Europe cultural and creative tourism projects, facilitating knowledge exchange and showcasing complementary approaches to sustainable and innovative tourism development in rural and remote areas.