CHORAL · Cultural Heritage Outreach in RomAnce Languages

The Cultural Heritage Outreach in RomAnce Languages programme (CHORAL) is naturally linked to the enlarged European Alliance University UNITA, that brings together the universities of Turin and Brescia (Italy), Savoie Mont Blanc and Pau et Pays de l’Adour (France), Beira Interior (Portugal), Timisoara and Transilvania Brasov (Romania), Navarra and Zaragoza (Spain). These universities i have a strong track record of participating in international networks, joint research programs, educational and innovation projects. They also share a strong common heritage linked to Romance languages speaking populations (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish). In this context, a dedicated Cultural Heritage Hub (CHH) has been created to establish a research network within the Alliance structuring its research ecosystem facing cultural related challenges. This Alliance aims to become a key player in the construction of the European Higher Education and Research Area by developing an integrated European University that combines education, research, and innovation, with a focus on research areas that are strategic for the economic development of their territories. The CHH hopes to raise awareness and find solutions to societal challenges that the European Union is currently facing in order to strengthen rural territories, empower cross-border mountain communities, and reduce inequalities between the core and its peripheries. In a context of current crisis, and as natural borders have always been used to unite or divide communities, the challenges facing European Cultural Heritage are numerous so that a common training has become crucial. CHORAL doctoral programme will allow to progress in building a real community and sharing knowledge within UNITA CHH. This will be achieved by consolidating joint training and research activities and by putting together senior researchers, doctoral candidates and research managers around Cultural Heritage and Europe's cultural identity.