TRAINMONHER - Valorisation of monumental heritage through higher education and professional training. Socioeconomic study and analysis of national policies  on EU-MED-DEV countries and EC Directives

The ultimate aim of the TRAINMONHER project was to promote and strengthen higher and professional education in developing countries, with the support from the European Union (EU), in the field of cultural heritage (monuments). The programmes planned would help improving the capacity building of institutions working in higher education in countries, such as Morocco, Argentina, Croatia and Mexico, which established programmes concerning conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage, in the sector of monumental heritage. The Specific Support Action (SSA) institutions are diffusion centres of knowledge at national and regional level. The anticipated results of TRAINMONHER should be addressed to Morocco and Mexico and to others developing International Cooperation (INCO) countries which have a rich cultural heritage, as well as to EU countries and Croatia. The educative TRAINMONHER programmes focused on construction materials, architecture and civil engineering, environmental impacts and its consequences upon these materials, as well as the building techniques of the monuments and the valorisation of this cultural heritage. These programmes included intervention and monument conservation and study techniques for identification and dating materials. New technology for the valorisation and socioeconomic impacts were also included in the SSA. The institutions involved in this project were centres for knowledge diffusion.

The main objectives of the project were the following:

1. Strengthening the capacity development of the SSA institutions regarding higher education degrees. The students engaged in the study, conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage are expected to represent the forthcoming qualified professionals. Focus was laid also on the professional training of students who were studying in professional schools or institutes

2. Further education was included in some of these institutions. This allowed transferring capacity to professionals who were working in the conservation, rehabilitation and in the diffusion or promotion of monumental heritage (curators, architects and craftsmen, tourism and school professors, correspondingly).

3. Significantly improving scientific and technical aspects, basic knowledge in analysis, study, rehabilitation, conservation and promotion of cultural heritage of Maghreb, Mexico - Argentina and Western Balkans, as well as improving also economic and social issues; the EU has and manages an enormous and varied monumental heritage which allows taking into account the great economic impacts and strong social development of knowledge improvement, valorisation and diffusion of its cultural and natural heritage. The well managed and organised cultural tourism represents a huge source of incomes, not only in cities but also in rural and marginal areas. Therefore, the long and precious experience of EU in this field was expected to provide a useful help to developing countries.