Athens Technology Center (ATC) is coordinating POLARIS, a new Horizon Europe project working to make digital cultural heritage technologies more accessible to libraries across Europe. Running from October 2026 to March 2029, POLARIS aims to build a cloud-ready ecosystem of tools, training and practical pilots, helping libraries of different sizes and levels of digital maturity take part in Europe’s digital transformation.
At the heart of the project is the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH): a European digital infrastructure intended to help cultural heritage organisations collaborate and work with shared digital tools, services and data. Yet access to technology alone is not enough. Many libraries face gaps in skills, resources or technical capacity. POLARIS seeks to bridge those gaps and make participation in the emerging cloud ecosystem practical for more institutions.
Turning digital opportunities into practical applications
POLARIS combines real-world testing, opportunities for wider participation and ongoing support through three key activities:
- three large-scale pilots will test and evaluate digital tools and services in national, research and historical libraries.
- two Open Calls, supported by third-party funding, will give additional organisations, including smaller and under-resourced institutions, opportunities to develop applications and participate in the ecosystem.
- a Library Innovation Support Hub will provide training, guidance, knowledge exchange and technical assistance, supporting wider uptake and the longer-term use of project results.
Together, these activities aim to position libraries not only as users of new technology, but as active participants in testing, adapting and co-creating digital approaches to cultural heritage. They will also provide feedback on what works in practice and what needs improvement.
ATC’s role: Coordination, integration and pilot validation
As project coordinator, ATC is responsible for the overall management of POLARIS, bringing the partners together, monitoring progress and supporting the timely delivery of project activities.
ATC also has a central technical role. It oversees work on integration with the ECCCH and contributes to the approaches and infrastructure that will enable participating organisations to access relevant tools and services. In addition, ATC leads the testing and operation of the large-scale pilots, helping assess how effectively the solutions perform in real-world conditions and address the needs of libraries.
This combination of project leadership, systems integration and practical technology validation reflects ATC’s experience in coordinating European research initiatives and supporting digital transformation.
POLARIS kicks off in Athens
The POLARIS consortium held its official kick-off meeting in Athens on 14–15 October 2026, hosted by ATC. Over two days, partners reviewed the project objectives, activities and expected results, clarified their responsibilities and aligned on working and communication procedures.
A key focus was planning the first six months of work, including the initial priorities and responsibilities for preparing the three pilots and the project’s next activities. The meeting established a shared starting point for the consortium as POLARIS moves into implementation.
Learn more
Project website: https://polaris-eccch.eu/
POLARIS on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/p/eyzuXaEA
POLARIS on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/polaris-eccch.bsky.social/post/3mxvsocgqa22v
