On Wednesday 13 May 2026, the Assembly Hall of the Rector Peset Hall of Residence of the Universitat de València will host the conference “Cultural observatories in times of globalisation: keys to a critical understanding from the Ibero-American space”, a meeting devoted to reflecting on the role of cultural observatories in contemporary processes of social transformation, innovation and cultural governance. The activity will begin at 6:00 p.m.

The session will bring together international specialists linked to research, cultural management and the analysis of cultural policies. Participants will include Manuel Gama, researcher at the Observatório de Políticas de Ciência, Comunicação e Cultura do CECS - Universidade do Minho; Cristina Ortega Nuere, CEO of the World Leisure Organization, PhD in Leisure and Human Development and chair of ENCATC’s Working Group on cultural observatories and measurement; and Héctor Schargorodsky, PhD in Administration from the University of Buenos Aires and member of UNESCO’s group of experts on cultural policies. The conference will be moderated by Pau Rausell Köster, director of the Research Unit in Cultural Economics and Tourism of the Universitat de València (Econcult).

The meeting is based on the idea that culture constitutes a basic infrastructure of hidden innovation within territories. In this regard, the conference will analyse how public universities contribute to creativity and innovation not only through the production of scientific knowledge, but also through experimentation with new ways of understanding the role of culture in social transformation. This so-called “hidden innovation” often emerges in everyday processes, informal practices, collaboration networks and management methods that do not necessarily appear in traditional indicators, yet decisively influence the medium- and long-term development of territories.

In this context, cultural observatories linked to public universities play a central role in identifying, systematising and communicating cultural impacts. Through cultural information systems and evaluation methodologies, they make it possible to analyse how cultural and artistic expressions transform social practices, institutional structures and forms of governance, reinforcing the idea of culture as a public and common good.

The participants will contribute internationally recognised experiences and trajectories. Manuel Gama promoted the series “Ibero-American Conversations with Cultural Observatories”, developed between 2024 and 2025 together with the Universidade de Brasília and the Universitat de València, involving 27 cultural observatories and cultural information systems from 12 different countries. Cristina Ortega Nuere currently coordinates an international ENCATC working group bringing together more than 40 cultural observatories worldwide and is the author of the reference book Observatorios Culturales. Creación de Mapas de Infraestructuras y Eventos (Ariel, 2010). Héctor Schargorodsky founded and directed the Cultural Observatory and the master’s degree in cultural and creative sector administration at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires.

The conference is organised by the Observatori Cultural of the Universitat de València with the collaboration of the Rector Peset Hall of Residence and Econcult.