About POLARIS
The POLARIS Project (Empowering Libraries to Lead Co-Creation and Innovation through the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage) responds to a key challenge: libraries across Europe differ widely in their digital capacity. Today, there is no coordinated European mechanism to help them develop interoperable, future-ready practices aligned with the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), which limits their contribution to Europe's digital and cultural transformation. POLARIS tackles this by combining a clear strategic vision with a validated framework for change. It sees libraries not as passive repositories but as active spaces for participation, and positions them as real-life testbeds for the ECCCH.
Trust-IT's role in POLARIS
Trust-IT leads Work Package 5 and Work Package 6 on Cascade Funding, the work package responsible for the management and setup of the 2 POLARIS Open Calls. Here, Trust-IT will coordinate the whole Open Call management system, including the recruitment of external evaluators and onboarding of use cases projects and the promotion and dissemination of the Open Calls and their results. With COMMPla’s support, the cascading grants will be managed through the TRUST-GRANTS Platform, accessible via the project's website.
Additionally, Trust-IT will also support WP8 on Dissemination, Communication and Policy Contribution through:
- Website design and management;
- Social media management;
- Visual identity development;
- Events organisation and support.
Impact
POLARIS will help close the digital gap between European libraries by turning them into active co-creators and testers of the ECCCH. Three flagship pilots at the British Library, NKUA and the Malatestiana Library, together with at least eight cascade-funded projects, will validate the Cloud in real-world settings and contribute FAIR datasets, reusable services and replicable workflows.
Two Open Calls, with €400,000 in cascade funding, will support at least eight projects led by libraries, NGOs and heritage actors, with a focus on underrepresented regions.
The Library Innovation Support Hub will support 20+ libraries and train 100+ professionals, lowering barriers for smaller and underrepresented institutions.
An open Reusability Toolkit, 15+ "ECCCH in Practice" stories and a Policy White Paper will share results widely and inform EU policy, making the ECCCH more inclusive, user-friendly and sustainable.
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