2020 ENCATC Research Award

The 7th ENCATC Research Award Ceremony took place online on 11 November 2020, during the 2020 ENCATC Digital Congress. Held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony brought together a global audience of academics, researchers, cultural professionals and policymakers.

Four finalists were recognised for their doctoral research: Dr Ali FitzGibbon (United Kingdom), Dr Eman Kandil (Egypt), Dr Rocío Nogales Muriel (Spain) and Dr Anastasiia Sedova (Italy). Their research explored theatre decision-making, heritage preservation, social innovation and abandoned religious heritage.

The 2020 Award was won by Dr Rocío Nogales Muriel (Spain) for her doctoral thesis, Social transformation and social innovation in the field of culture: The case of the SMart model and its adaptation across Europe, obtained from the Center for the Study of Culture, Politics and Society (CECUPS) at the University of Barcelona.

The ceremony opened with remarks by Tanja Johansson, ENCATC Vice-President and Vice Dean of the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki. Catherine Magnant, Head of the Culture Policy Unit at the European Commission, delivered the opening speech and announced the winner following a round table where the finalists presented their research to the international jury.

The first fully digital edition demonstrated the Award’s capacity to connect researchers internationally, support emerging careers and strengthen links between research, policy and practice, contributing to knowledge exchange in cultural management and cultural policy in Europe and beyond.