Press Comments

The Bangor Conference

by Kenneth Aitchison

European Funding for Archaeological Projects: learning to spend the Euro

Speakers presented their experiences of the contusing world of European Union funding and how they emerged with successful archaeological projects. Mechanisms of securing funding were dealt with, but speakers concentrated on the results of their projects, examples of work that the many different EU funds could support.

Two papers looked at the European Pathways to the Cultural Landscape project. Gerhard Ermischer of the Museen der Stadt Aschaffenburg described how this ambitious programme contributes to sustainable management of the cultural landscape, using the Culture 2000 fund- Joanne Clark (Lancashire County Council) and David Thompson (Gwynedd Archaeological Trust) showcased the two projects based in England and Wales as examples of the twelve diverse projects in ten countries that make up this programme.

Perhaps the most intriguing talk was by Mark Graham of Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd, the only non-archaeologist, on his company's experience of coordinating cultural heritage and archaeological training projects across the EU; and the accession countries of central and eastern Europe. Excavation-centred training in European archaeology has successfully delivered vocational training for archaeologists at the entry level stage of their careers.

Overall, a session that allowed shared concepts to flow between the speakers and attending delegates, leading to some potential new joint projects in the future.