Welcome to the ERIH July newsletter. Even with Covid-19, the application for the fourth year of Creative Europe funding is proceeding as scheduled. Yet the ERIH event calendar has been turned upside down by the Corona crisis – please check this newsletter for the latest updates. Finally, we would like to welcome a new Anchor Point.

Overview of this newsletter's topics:

• ERIH budget: application for the fourth year of Creative Europe funding
• ERIH "WORK it OUT": on-site and digital
• ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer 2020: survey postponed to autumn
• ERIH website: what’s new?
• ERIH keeps growing: new Anchor Point in the Basque Country
• ERIH events: annual conference goes digital for the first time

On 1 October 2020, ERIH will start the fourth and final year of its current Creative Europe Network funding. The application was submitted in due time by the end of May. As usual, ERIH has ambitious plans for the upcoming funding period, as shown in the list below:

• WORK it OUT: While we had to postpone the event this year due to the Corona crisis, we are confident to stage the 2021 edition of the pan-European dance performance as scheduled on May 1st. Apart from the event itself, the EU funding also covers the associated social media campaign.
• Twinning of Sites: Once again included is the mutual visit of two pairs of sites.
• European Academy of Industrial Culture: The recruitment of qualified staff is crucial for industrial heritage sites. For this reason, we will continue to improve the curricula we have developed so far and intensify our cooperation with colleges and universities.
• Volunteers Management: ERIH also seeks academic support in researching effective models for volunteer management in the industrial heritage sector. In this context, we are planning to assign a master's thesis on a related topic.
• Cross Marketing: The intensification of cross-marketing activities focuses on higher reach and an increase in visitor numbers. This includes the overhaul of our corporate design to serve as a basis for updated or additional promotional items for the ERIH sites. The logo of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe will be an integral part of the new design.
• ERIH Annual Conferences: Creative Europe funding traditionally includes the annual ERIH conferences. For more information go to ERIH Events.
• Communication and Promotion: ERIH plans to produce a corporate video to boost its public image. Further elements in this field involve developing the website's content and intensifying communication via Facebook.
• Industrial Heritage Barometer: The survey on the state of industrial heritage in Europe will be continued. Find out more at ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer.
• ERIH at the European Parliament: In 2016 ERIH was invited to a panel discussion on industrial heritage tourism in the European Parliament. The event might be repeated in 2021.

The call for the next Creative Europe funding period 2021-2027 is expected to be issued in autumn 2020 and ERIH will renew its application. Keep up to date with developments here in the newsletter.

This year's WORK it OUT day will be 13 September 2020, 3 to 5 p.m. (CEST). In many countries the timing coincides with the celebration of the "European Heritage Day". As always, there will be a decentralised dance event at multiple ERIH sites across Europe. So far almost 30 sites in nine countries have confirmed their participation, which is very encouraging!

As a result of Covid-19, however, it wasn't just the date that had to be postponed this year, but we also had to reconsider the organisation of the event. This is why we will be providing a centrally coordinated livestream for the first time where we will feature dance performances at individual sites, do interviews with local partners and show video recordings of preparations and rehearsals. ERIH sites that lack the facilities for a livestream can provide footage in advance.

Of course, we will be happy to have local dance groups record their performance on video and share it on YouTube and Facebook by using our #erihworkitout hashtag. And naturally, ERIH will again produce a video compilation of all participating sites and supports the event with a social media advertising campaign.
WORK it OUT 2020

Likewise, the survey for the ERIH Industrial Heritage Barometer will start with a delay this year. This will allow for additional questions on the impact of the Corona crisis. According to the current schedule, the questionnaire will be dispatched in autumn, with the exact date not yet fixed.

How does Covid-19 affect tourism and museums in particular? Which studies and surveys are available? Are there lessons learned for dealing with the crisis or recommendations for a reopening following lockdowns?

We have set up a special section on these issues on the website: 'Coronavirus / Covid-19 Crisis - Impact on museums and tourism'. The number of links is still very small. In order to extend it and to facilitate research by country or by detail, we kindly ask you to forward relevant resources and documents in the respective language via link or PDF, thus facilitating their sharing with the entire network: webmaster@erih.net. Thanks a lot!
Corona/Covid-19 crisis: Impact on museums and tourism

In April, the ERIH Board, at its first ever online meeting, recognised another ERIH Anchor Point in the Basque Country:

Since 1994, the Basque Railway Museum, located in the historic railway station of Azpeitia, has been keeping the memory of the heyday of the Northern Spanish narrow-gauge railways alive. It boasts a large rolling stock that includes steam engines of the late 19th century as well as diesel and electric locomotives.
Basque Railway Museum. Azpeitia (E)