Research Programmes and Activities 2023

Once more, in 2023, the John S. Latsis Public Beneft Foundation has kept providing its support to the operation and multifaceted work of the Research Centre for the Humanities (RCH), the main purpose of which is the support and funding of research in the Humanities through a wide range of activities, in order to serve as a springboard for young scientists who are preparing their own research initiatives. In addition, RCH organises workshops, conferences and meetings with the aim of further disseminating research results to both the scientific community and the general public.

In 2023, the development of the RCH Digital Library progressed. The RCH Digital Library is an innovative publishing endeavour of RCH in collaboration with the National Documentation Centre. Aiming to promote the free dissemination of knowledge, RCH has launched a new open-access digital platform for scientific publications in the field of Humanities, addressed to both authors and readers, which incorporates innovative design and functional elements. Additionally, a new research programme entitled “NORMED” was launched, which aims at enhancing our understanding of modern and contemporary European history by viewing it through a poly-centric lens that takes into account two of its constitutive regions, namely the Nordic/Baltic region and the Mediterranean. Through a comparative reflection of these regions and taking into consideration their cultural, historical and social borders, this project aims to highlight their similarities bringing together scholars in order to exchange ideas and building a sustainable and productive research network that will lead to concrete research outcomes.

Finally, fulfilling its main purpose of supporting research in the field of Humanities, the RCH announced the 2nd Public Call for the “Research Fellows” initiative, which allows post-doc researchers to join RCH and receive scientific guidance, practical and technical support, as well as financial support during the development of their research proposals. The aim of this initiative is to create a community that shares common objectives, exchanges ideas and develops activities based on mutual support and collaboration.

• 62 applications for scientific research were submitted for funding in 2023 under the 2nd Public Call, while 10 researchers collaborated with RCH as Research Fellows for 2024.

“Technological developments in the field of information technology and the Internet have allowed, for the first time, the element of interactivity and interaction to be present in the media and thus have made possible the active participation of users. This opens up new prospects for participation, collectivity and democratisation of traditional knowledge and information systems. This new reality, enables open and free access to knowledge –which is strongly supported by the RCH– giving both researchers the opportunity to publicise their results, as well as the general public and specialised audiences the chance to have direct access to studies that are carried out at the same time. This opportunity is of key importance, especially for the humanities, which are no longer exclusively intended for academic use. Rather, they contribute to public discourse, thus demonstrating their usefulness and relevance in an era of multiple and multi-level crises. Finally, free and open access knowledge via the internet enables, for the first time, remote communities, either within Greece or abroad, and people with mobility difficulties, to come into contact with scientific content of high quality and value.”

Alexandros Teneketzis

Assistant Professor of Art History, Department of History – Archaeology, University of Patras

Author, RCH Digital Library

“In 2023, the RCH continued to expand and deepen one of its main objectives, namely research in the humanities from an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective, considering contemporary scientific debates. The two programmes it has launched draw on the experience of managing previous research programmes, attracting researchers not only from different fields, but also from different countries, making RCH a dynamic hub for the production of scientific knowledge at a national and international level.”

Dr Ada Dialla

Professor, Athens School of Fine Arts

Chair of the Board, Research Centre for the Humanities