Written evidence submitted by the
National Heritage Science Forum

Protecting built heritage

This evidence is submitted by the National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF). The National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) is the charitable body in the UK that facilitates collaboration and knowledge-exchange to enhance the contribution that heritage science makes to society. NHSF’s members include major national bodies and universities, research institutions, conservation and heritage organisations.

The Forum:

Shapes the future through strategic partnerships to build and share knowledge, data and skills across organisational boundaries.
Connects people: researchers, conservators, curators, scientists from many disciplinary backgrounds, educators at all levels, and commercial operators.
Co-creates the strategic framework for heritage science in the UK and coordinates its delivery.

Q5: What policies would ensure the UK workforce has the right skills to maintain our heritage assets?

The skills needed for the maintenance of heritage assets not only encompass traditional craft and conservation skills, but also cutting-edge science and research skills.

Heritage science skills underpin areas such as retrofit, modelling energy efficiency, strategies for mitigation of risks to heritage, understanding materials vulnerability and degradation, conservation and preservation practice, data management and interpretation.

Heritage scientists come from many different disciplinary backgrounds, for example chemistry, physics, engineering, archaeological science, environmental science, conservation science.

We identify three areas in which policy intervention would help to ensure the UK workforce has the right skills to maintain heritage assets.

Policy intervention to support the development of interdisciplinary heritage science research skills, e.g. cross-research council programmes of skills development, knowledge-exchange and research funding spanning EPSRC, NERC, AHRC that:

- provides skills development opportunities at different entry points from apprenticeship to post-doctoral researcher

- includes industry experience, either in a heritage setting or commercial environment, to support knowledge-exchange.

Potential delivery models could draw on experience from:

- the SEAHA (Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology) programme – a centre for doctoral training which ran from 2014-2023 training doctoral students in cross-disciplinary heritage science research which combined academic, heritage and industry input.[1]

- the linking of heritage science skills development to a Catapult, as in the example of the Medicines Discovery Catapult and development of Life Science skills (and subsequent employment opportunities).[2]

A What Works Centre focused on research and evidence relating to retrofit and strategies to achieve net zero in the heritage sector.

Heritage science research and evidence is used by local authority staff historic environment teams, including conservation officers, who need access to robust research to underpin decision-making and advice e.g. in response to enquiries about retrofit of historic buildings.

The Historic Environment Skills & Careers Action Plan for England (Sep 2024) reports that only 16% of authorities are currently confident in making such decisions and there is a need to build these skills and confidence.[3]

A What Works Centre focused on research and evidence relating to retrofit and strategies to achieve net zero in the heritage sector would not only meet the skills needs of historic environment teams (by supporting decision makers and achieve better outcomes from research) but would also benefit the closely related GLAM (galleries, museums, libraries and archives) sector which has many of the same skills and knowledge needs as revealed in NHSF’s cross-disciplinary event on research to address the climate emergency, held January 2024.[4]

The third area is policy support for a long-term sustainable approach to skills development in specialist areas such as conservation and heritage science that are needed for the maintenance of heritage assets.

Labour market research by Icon, the Institute of Conservation (2022) shows that conservation currently has a small but highly qualified workforce, but that the high levels of small and microbusinesses combined with an ageing workforce means that the future of conservation skills is at risk.[5] Research for the National Heritage Science Forum in 2009 and 2019 shows a reliance on degree and postgraduate training.[6] [7]

The limited range of training opportunities places pressure on the pipeline for skills development that is acutely felt in small disciplinary areas such as conservation, archaeology and heritage science. The financial challenges currently faced by the higher education sector mean that these specialist areas are particularly vulnerable to cuts.

We recognise the need for an innovative response to these challenges that does not rely on one form of training provider, but this will take time to develop. For conservation, Icon’s Conservation Skills Strategy (2023) sets out six priorities that are applicable to the development of skills for the protection of built heritage.[8]

For heritage science, the approach to training and skills development must also take a long-term view that addresses the needs of students, employers, clients and academy and is sustainable for providers from higher education organisations to providers of continuing professional development. This approach will be essential to address the development of an inclusive, confident, diverse and outward-looking heritage science community which is one of three strands of the recently launched Strategic Framework for Heritage Science in the UK, 2024-27.[9]

National Heritage Science Forum

3rd February, 2025