MESOC is a Research and Innovation Action, carried out from February 2020 to May 2023, to propose, test and validate an innovative and original approach to measuring the societal value and impacts of culture and cultural policies and practices, related to three crossover themes of the new European Agenda for Culture: 1) Health and Wellbeing, 2) Urban and Territorial Renovation and 3) People’s Engagement and Participation. The global aim is to respond to the challenge posed by the H2020 Call (“To develop new perspectives and improved methodologies for capturing the wider societal value of culture, including but also beyond its economic impact”).

To do so, MESOC adapted and further developed a method for “transition based” impact assessment derived from a previous UNESCO Chair publication, building a structural model of the Societal Dimension of Culture, as defined by one of the strategic objectives of the European Agenda.

The model was tested within 11 European city pilots: Athens, Barcelona, Cluj-Napoca, Gent, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Jerez de la Frontera, Lublin, Milano, Rijeka, Turku, and Valencia.

MESOC will be carried forward by 10 partners from 7 European countries (namely: Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain) to which Finland and Poland should be added as including a non-partner City, which will however be touched by some crucial project activities. 

Partners: eConcult (ES), KEA European Affairs (BE), DAStU - Politecnico di Milano (IT), University of Barcelona - School of Economics and Business (ES), Relais Culture Europe (FR), City of Rijeka (HR), City of Athens - DAEM (GR), City of Cluj Napoca - Cluj Cultural Center (RO), Worldcunch (FR), University of Rijeka (HR).