102 YEARBOOK 2026 Perfform facility for built heritage • Historic England’s mobile and fixed laboratories for historic buildings. Together, all 30 of RICHeS investments are advancing understanding of the impacts of climate change on our heritage and enabling scientifically informed approaches to the conservation and retrofit. THE HERITAGE SCIENCE DATA SERVICE Alongside physical infrastructure, the Heritage Science Data Service (HSDS) provides core digital research services for the RICHeS programme, supporting heritage professionals, researchers and scientists. To explore more about services offered through RICHeS investments, including techniques and who to contact, search the HSDS Catalogue of Services. This is an easy-to-use Light blue-green Possible stencilled or patterned decoration Plaster substrate The elaborately decorated interiors of A la Ronde, an 18th century National Trust property near Exmouth, Devon and, below, a detail from the paint analysis report – one of many which will be accessible through the new National Trust Paint Archive Collection (Images: Lisa Oestreicher) resource allowing users to discover and access heritage science and conservation collections and facilities that are essential to their research. The HSDS also offers an accredited and FAIR digital repository that preserves and provides access to critical heritage science data. If you have existing research data you would like to share, you can deposit your data with the HSDS Data Catalogue to ensure your datasets are securely preserved and are available for others to find and reuse. Through collaboration with STFC Hartree Centre, the HSDS are developing a suite of virtual research environments (VREs) and software tools to allow researchers to access, visualise and analyse large-scale heritage science and conservation datasets. The HSDS Grants Programme provides funding to enhance access to heritage science and conservation resources and develop tailored VRE applications and workflows with STFC Hartree. Included in the first awardees from this initiative is a project to make the datasets from the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust’s at-risk heritage sites accessible, and another to unify and publish the British Geological Survey’s National Building Stone Collection. HSDS continues to evolve, with opportunities for community engagement, including user needs surveys. Further information, guidance and resources are available on the HSDS website: https://hsds. ac.uk/ SUPPORTING ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION To reduce barriers, the RICHeS Access Fund supports researchers, organisations and professionals in accessing equipment, collections and expertise, including mobile services. By covering eligible costs, such as the transport of objects, the fund enables broader participation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Importantly, all RICHeS investments offer yearround access through multiple routes, so engagement is not limited to formal funding calls. Full guidance is available on the RICHeS website. A GATEWAY TO EUROPE: E-RIHS RICHeS also serves as the UK National Node of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS). Through this collaboration, the UK National Node provides access to international facilities, analytical services, curated collections and digital tools that support research and conservation across Europe’s cultural heritage. Through RICHeS, you can stay informed about ERIHS access opportunities and calls. DRIVING IMPACT FROM THE RICHES INFRASTRUCTURE HEADQUARTERS RICHeS is delivered by the Infrastructure Headquarters (IHQ) team based at Sci-Tech Daresbury in northwest England. The team drives the programme’s mission, builds partnerships and enables access and collaboration across the sector. The IHQ also commissions research to strengthen the evidence base, including the RICHeS Heritage and Conservation Science Labour Survey, delivered by the Institute of Conservation (Icon) from 2026. GET INVOLVED RICHeS is an open, collaborative infrastructure and its success depends on the community it serves. To learn more, explore opportunities or discuss how RICHeS can support your work: • Email: RICHeS@ahrc.ukri.org • Website: https://www.riches.ukri. org/ • Stay connected: Subscribe to the newsletter and follow RICHeS on LinkedIn for updates, funding calls and opportunities. Meggen Gondek is Head of RICHeS IHQ and Professor of Archaeology at University of Chester
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