About the Heritage Hub
The University of Hertfordshire’s Heritage Hub was established in 2010. It sits under the UH Research Commitment of Engaging Communities: Connecting People Through Story and Place.
The Heritage Hub provides an organised, unified, outward-facing identity for UH heritage engagement activities with community groups, heritage institutions and museums, local authorities and businesses. It is open to all members of staff across all Schools at the University working in the field of heritage and with outside heritage partners, and all students, especially those taking the Doctorate of Heritage (DHeritage). The Hub’s activities are all participatory and involve community co-production research in heritage.
We are part of the Impact Accelerator Account awarded by UKRI (2022-26) to accelerate the impact of the University’s world-leading research.
Who we are: People
UH Heritage Hub is led by Professor Katrina Navickas with a steering committee of academics from across the University.
It is also the umbrella organisation for the Oral History Team (OHT), currently led by Senior Research Fellow, Andrew Green. It is composed of UH staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and local community members from the region. It also partners with Heritage for Business, led by Professor Jonathan Morris, which provides consultancy services to corporate clients.
We also provide a base for professionals taking the DHeritage programme, led by Professor Grace Lees-Maffei
The new initiative of the Heritage Hub is the Film Heritage strand, to bring together research and activities relating to the long-established history of the film industry in Hertfordshire. This is led by Howard Berry, and encompasses his award winning work with the television and film studios at nearby Elstree, as well as interdisciplinary research by members in film and screen.
Our community engagement and policy officer is Rosa Chalfin. Contact Rosa at uh.heritage@herts.ac.uk
Our aims:
1. Having a real and meaningful impact within the region in:
- Community heritage
- Placemaking
- Enterprise
- Local authority cultural and heritage strategy
2. Engaging in and promoting research methods and practices in heritage:
- Community co-production and participatory research
- Oral History
- Creative arts, including film, animation, digital arts, theatre
3. Expanding and developing UH’s links with external partners in heritage and culture
The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded over £1.7m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to accelerate the impact of the University’s world-leading research.
Collectively known as Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs), the block funding by UKRI to the University of Hertfordshire is made available via two research councils, the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), respectively.
The Heritage Hub facilitates the Community Co-Production in Heritage strand of this scheme, providing grant opportunities for researchers to work with heritage organisations and external partners.
Go to Funding and Project Showcase to find out more about funding and the projects we support.
In 2014-19, the Heritage Hub hosted the £1.25M Everyday Lives in War Centre (ELIWC) AHRC funded Co-ordinating Centre for Community Research and Engagement to Commemorate the Centenary of the First World War.
Professor Katrina Navickas discusses the Heritage Hub at the DHeritage anniversary symposium, 2024.
