BRIEF SUMMARYThe EduCultCentre project aims to establish common spaces for cultural interactions, the protection and sustainable use of common cultural values as well as the expansion of tourist attractions in the Romanian-Hungarian border area. The project has 2 pillars complementing each other: the protection of existing and the creation of new common cultural values.1) Protecting and promoting common cultural heritage: the Romanian-Hungarian Cross-Border Education Centre of Cultural and Historical Heritage in Debrecen and the Țării Crișurilor Museum in Oradea will ensure the joint protection and mutual presentation of cultural heritage as a catalyst for strengthening a common identity.2) Knowledge sharing for creating new cultural values: the education centre and the Cultural Centre in Oradea will offer jointly organized workshops/trainings for RO and HU cultural institutions, actors, artists, cultural professionals and youth – the goal is to share the latest knowledge and foster innovation in every field of culture.This dual approach contributes to the development of creative industries based on common traditions and cultural innovation. Strengthening cross-border and -cultural partnerships has a direct and measurable effect on the attractiveness of the border region – both during and after the implementation of the project. The activities foreseen will make a major contribution to conserving, protecting and promoting cross-border cultural heritage, ensuring its long-term sustainable use.OBJECTIVESOverall objective: sustainable use, protection and transfer of common RO-HU cultural values and heritageSpecific objectives: improve access to the joint cultural heritage of the border area; increase awareness of common Romanian-Hungarian cultural values; enhance cultural/artistic creativity and knowledge transfer in the regionJUSTIFICATIONThe area has significant historical/cultural heritage, but for a long time the border has hindered their joint protection and presentation. Although they are not lost yet, much of them have not been properly processed, mainly due to a lack of a consistent system of exploration. Additionally, the already processed joint heritage is not stored in a uniform, easily accessible way. The widest possible access to cultural values can be ensured by digitization, but at this moment, there are no institutions that could perform this task. Tangible and intangible cultural values are both important components of the attractiveness of any region – in border territories they also offer a unique opportunity to learn about each other. The infrastructural and institutional background of practical learning programmes is insufficient – as a result, most artists do not have the chance to develop themselves and learn the latest methods. More advanced artistic training requires special infrastructure which cannot be sustained in a cost-effective manner unless it serves a larger area. The 8 counties of the border region can provide critical mass, while the joint events help expanding artistic cooperation.MAIN OUTPUTS1) 3 buildings will be modernized:- education centre in Debrecen (3911.66 m²), providing rooms for knowledge sharing, artistic production and the protection/promotion of common cultural heritage in an innovative way (e.g. training space with multifunctional, variable auditorium, blackroom, training rooms, floor for dance classes);- new exhibitions on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Țării Crișurilor Museum in Oradea (3907 m², history, ethnography and art sections, conference room for 200 people, other necessary rooms, holograms, multimedia information system);- partially reconstructed and enlarged Cultural Centre in Oradea (568 m², exhibition and event halls, other rooms necessary for providing cultural trainings and events).2) The joint cross-border cultural activities (focusing on youth) will be coordinated by the Csokonai Theatre, collaborating with the partners and other cultural stakeholders. Approx. 35 common events will be organized; 2 written documents and 16 videos will be published within the project (e.g. dance methodology workshop+training material, conferences of drama pedagogy/dance anthropology, youth art camp+meeting, “movement as a language” educational programme, cultural archive with portrait films and cultural spots).The activities contribute to the programme’s output indicator: the increase in the expected number of visits to these supported sites of cultural heritage will be 25,056 in the year after project closureFINAL BENEFICIARIESThe outputs involve the following target groups as final beneficiaries of the modernized cultural buildings:- cultural professionals use the cross-border cultural facilities and their services for learning new methods, sharing knowledge, creating new performances and cultural goods;- the general public as consumers of culture are different groups of tourists, local inhabitants and the population of the entire region.EXPECTED CHANGESAs a result of the activities, conditions for protecting, creating and promoting (in)tangible elements of the joint cultural heritage will be improved. These changes contribute to the tourist draw of the developed cultural facilities and of the whole border region. Consequently, a joint and integrated tourism destination will be created, attracting more domestic and foreign visitors which is ultimately reflected in an increased number of visitor nights and the strengthened tourist industry of the border area.To achieve these results, strong cross-border collaboration is required: only together can the partners create the concept and content of cultural facilities/services that focus explicitly on RO and HU cultural values. By combining their extensive experience in operating cultural institutions and organizing cultural events and by activating their cross-border cultural network, they will be able to sustain and expand the jointly created cultural offers and maintain the strengthened cultural partnerships.INNOVATIVENESS- There is no other cross-border education centre explicitly focusing on protecting and sharing common cultural values in the EU – our facility can serve as a good practice for cultural cooperation in other cross-border areas.- Brand-new training materials and methodologies will be designed, tested, and disseminated by the partners and other experts. The innovativeness of these documents is reflected both in their target groups (focusing on youth from age 3 to university students) and in their topics (e.g. dance methodology, drama pedagogy).- The education centre will not only host creative cultural processes and training courses, but also nurture related research and innovation activities, focusing on cultural education and awareness raising, bringing up a new generation of culture-consumers.