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PROCULTHER-NET: Building a European methodology for crisis response

By Knowledge Network – Staff memberPublished on

PROCULTHER-NET and its successor, PROCULTHER-NET 2, are EU projects co-financed by the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (Knowledge for Action in Prevention & Preparedness call for proposals KAPP Call ) designed to ensure that the protection of cultural heritage is systematically integrated into the Union Civil Protection Mechanism itself.

They build on the original PROCULTHER project, advocating for the recognition of the protection of cultural heritage at risk within the traditional civil protection sector, and providing operational tools for a better coordination between the disaster management and cultural heritage sectors. From 2021 onwards, its successors have expanded from initial concept development to a broader operational network involving civil protection authorities, cultural heritage institutions, and research organisations across Europe. 

At the centre of the initiative is the Key Elements of a European Methodology to Address the Protection of Cultural Heritage during Emergencies. This document sets out common standards and operational methods for integrating cultural heritage considerations into disaster risk management processes. It covers risk assessment, coordination mechanisms at national and European level, training needs and equipment requirements. The Methodology, currently under revision, is designed for practical application, allowing each Member and Participating State to adapt it to their own legal and institutional frameworks.

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Concrete actions in practice

  • Advanced Training Courses - a flagship activity to strengthen national and European capacities in addressing cultural heritage at risk has been the organisation of Training Modules on the Protection of Cultural Heritage at Risk. Since 2019, 131 experts from over 75% of UCPM Member and Participating States have been trained under the PROCULTHER initiative. The last cycle held in September 2025 raised the total number of trained professionals to 166, spanning both the cultural heritage and disaster risk management sectors.

  • Sharing of good practices and lessons learnt - since 2022, PROCULTHER-NET collects and shares case studies within the UCPKN through the Technical Bulletins (https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/news/fifth-issue-p…) , now in their fifth issue (the sixth is expected in November 2025). 

    Among the last of the 48 case studies published, two post-event actions are worth mentioning:  in Mayotte, where- following the cyclone Chido-  teams worked to safeguard heritage sites and collections at risk. In Valencia, after the 2024 DANA flood (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos – Isolated Depression at High Levels, hit the province of Valencia, triggering record floods. This weather phenomenon occurs when a pocket of cold air at high altitude meets warmer, moist air, creating severe storms), cultural heritage specialists collaborated with civil protection teams to protect archives and monuments from water damage.

  • EU MODEX Venice 2024 – PROCULTHER-NET integrated cultural heritage protection scenarios into the EU’s full-scale civil protection exercise in Venice. PROCULTHER-trained experts worked within the EUCP Team and with the German ‘Cultural Heritage Response Unit’ (CHRU), testing tools, methodologies and interoperability in a real time setting. The multidisciplinary team practised salvaging, documenting, and stabilising damaged cultural assets alongside broader disaster response operations. 
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  • The Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU) has been developed under the KulturGutRetter project by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the German Archaeological Institute (DAI)-both PROCULTHER-NET partners- and the Leibniz Centre for Archaeology, this deployable unit is equipped for documenting, stabilising, and cleaning movable and immovable heritage, with a mobile conservation laboratory, surveying systems, and independent logistics.
  • Reinforcement of national capacities - At national level across all consortium countries, PROCULTHER-NET has promoted the reinforcement of country-based working groups which fostered cross-sectoral cooperation and strengthened national governance for cultural heritage protection. Two notable examples are in France and Türkiye. Safeguarding of Cathedrals in France – The French Ministry of Culture, working with fire and rescue services, has developed emergency plans, fire prevention systems, and digital mapping tools for major religious buildings, in the wake of the Notre-Dame fire; and the organisation of the Workshop on Assessing the Impacts of the February 6 Earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on Cultural Heritage and field exercise in Bursa, Türkiye, focusing on earthquake impacts on heritage sites. (Field-exercise video).
  • Support to Ukraine
    Following the outbreak of war, PROCULTHER-NET partners mobilised through the UCPM to support Ukrainian authorities. Efforts included coordinated logistical assistance, training programmes, and the deployment of mobile tools to help safeguard cultural heritage, carried out in cooperation with national and international partners.

In addition to operational work, PROCULTHER-NET promotes the integration of cultural heritage protection into national and European disaster risk management policies, encouraging cross-sector cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the development of common standards.