The second edition of the international conference brings together academic and institutional representatives at the Università della Svizzera italiana on 12 and 13 November to promote research and university cooperation on the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
The Swiss city of Lugano is hosting the second International Conference of the University Network for Cultural Routes Studies, under the title Advancing and sharing knowledge for a better Programme of Cultural Routes. The event is organised by the European Institute of Cultural Routes, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and with the support of the Compostela Group of Universities (CGU), which chairs the university network.
The conference builds on the first international meeting, held in Santiago de Compostela on 13 and 14 November 2024and jointly organised by the CGU and the European Institute of Cultural Routes. That first edition laid the foundations for stronger cooperation between universities and academic institutions interested in the study of cultural routes, as well as for the development of a shared work agenda.
This second edition aims to take these objectives further by exchanging research and experience, strengthening the university network and fostering closer links between academia and practitioners. The programme addresses topics including digitalisation, governance, rural development, education, tourism and heritage protection, while exploring new avenues for research and cooperation that can contribute to the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme.
The CGU’s involvement reaffirms its commitment to international academic cooperation and to the role of universities in researching, preserving and promoting Europe’s cultural heritage. The network brings together universities and academic institutions working to generate knowledge, promote educational activities and provide scientific perspectives to support the development of Cultural Routes.
Compostela Group of Universities President Carla Martins with Rui Gomes, Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes and Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, and Silvia De Ascaniis, lecturer and researcher at the Università della Svizzera italiana, Coordinator of its UNESCO Chair on ICTs for Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites, and Co-Chair of the Lugano conference.
Compostela Group of Universities President Carla Martins delivering her welcome address to participants at the second International Conference of the University Network for Cultural Routes Studies in Lugano.