Preservation & Migration Seminar 2026

The MY BALKAN(S) project is a collaborative framework designed to strengthen the capacities of public service media institutions in the Western Balkans in the areas of audiovisual cultural heritage preservation, digitisation, and contemporary valorisation. In collaboration with INA France, the project acknowledges the importance of audiovisual archives as shared cultural assets in the Western Balkans region. It also recognises the common challenges these archives face, such as limited digitisation, fragmented institutional infrastructures, restricted accessibility and the need to adapt archival content to contemporary digital environments.

Within this framework, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) is contributing as a regional partner through two interconnected activity segments.

The first focuses on digitisation, training and knowledge transfer. The RTS Digitisation Centre operates as a shared resource, enabling partner institutions to digitise selected archival materials according to internationally recognised standards and best practices. These activities are conceived as joint learning processes rather than commercial services, thereby reinforcing institutional autonomy and technical sustainability across the region. A series of structured workshops and case studies will document the entire archival workflow, from selection and documentation to restoration and public presentation.

The second segment explores new models of public valorisation, particularly the proposed Balkan Cultural Atlas. This is a digital, borderless platform based on geographical storytelling. Rather than operating as a centralised archive, the Atlas serves as an experimental space for shared visibility, collaborative development and regional dialogue, while fully respecting institutional autonomy.

This presentation will demonstrate how MY BALKAN(S) combines technical development with regional cooperation by strengthening institutions and exploring shared digital tools. It will also show how audiovisual heritage can be used as a foundation for contemporary cultural exchange in the Western Balkans.