Heritage Science Data Service
The Heritage Science Data Service provides core digital research services as part of the RICHeS programme, the UK’s Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science. The HSDS will unlock potential for innovation in heritage science and conservation research and its capacity to advance understanding, preservation, and management of UK heritage.
Find out more
Latest News & Events
See all
National Heritage Science Forum Conference 2025: Join Us in London on July 10th
The Heritage Science Data Service is proud to be a sponsor of the National...
HSDS User Needs Survey: Help Shape the Future of Heritage Science Data
Do you create or use heritage science data as an employee, volunteer, or student?...
What is Heritage Science? Using Science to better understand the past
Heritage science uses scientific methods to understand, preserve, and share our cultural heritage. The...
The HSDS arises from the award of £14.4M under the AHRC’s Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) Programme. The primary aim of the HSDS is to provide comprehensive digital research services that empower arts and humanities professionals, heritage experts and scientists. It will achieve this through:
- establishing a catalogue of research facilities, reference collections and expertise
- serving as an aggregating platform to make data collections easy to navigate
- creating a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) repository for research data to encourage accessibility and long-term preservation
- creating a suite of Virtual Research Environments and software tools to allow researchers to visualise and analyse data.
By improving digital access to this data, the HSDS aims to unlock its full research potential and impact across the heritage sector. The project runs for 5 years (2024-29) and is developed by a consortium of key UK heritage bodies covering England, Scotland and Wales.
Project partners