Dr. Francesca Giliberto
Dr. Francesca Giliberto was a finalist for the 2018 ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Cultural Management for her PhD thesis, “Linking Theory with Practice: Assessing the Integration of a 21st Century International Approach to Urban Heritage Conservation, Management and Development in the World Heritage Cities of Florence and Edinburgh”, obtained jointly from Politecnico di Torino in Italy and the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Francesca Giliberto is a researcher and consultant specialising in cultural heritage management, heritage policy and sustainable development. She began her academic training with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Architecture, specialising in heritage preservation and restoration, before completing a Master's degree in World Heritage and Cultural Projects for Development. In February 2018, she completed her joint PhD at Politecnico di Torino and the University of Kent. Following her PhD, Giliberto continued to develop research at the intersection of cultural heritage, urban development and sustainability.
Her professional experience extends beyond academia. She has collaborated with national, regional and local governments, public institutions, NGOs, conservation practitioners, architects and urban planners. Among her projects were a feasibility study for an observatory of Italian World Heritage sites, undertaken for the Fitzcarraldo Foundation and commissioned by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage, and work contributing to the nomination of Ivrea, the Industrial City of the 20th Century, to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Dr. Matina Magkou
Dr. Matina Magkou was a finalist for the 2018 ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Cultural Management for her PhD thesis, “Value and evaluation in international cultural cooperation programmes: focus on the EuroArab region” obtained from the University of Deusto in Spain
Dr. Matina Magkou is a researcher, lecturer, and consultant specialising in cultural and creative industries, cultural policy, and international cultural cooperation. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Université Côte d’Azur at the GREDEG research laboratory. She holds a PhD from the University of Deusto on the evaluation of cultural cooperation projects and has taught at several universities in Europe and beyond. Her academic career includes visiting research positions at the Brussels School of Governance (VUB, 2023–2024) and as a Fulbright Schuman Scholar at New York University and Carnegie Mellon' University Heinz College (2024).
Matina has extensive professional experience in festivals, theatre productions, and major international events, as well as within public institutions such as the European Parliament, the Greek Ministry of Education and the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency. She is co-founder of KOΛΕΚΤΙVA for culture and social innovation, one of the two experts on Greece for the Compendium on Cultural Policies and Trends and a member of the European Expert Network for Culture.
