About Incipit

Incipit is a research institute of CSIC. As opposed to research institutes organised around a discipline, Incipit is oriented towards research on a common problem, cultural heritage, independently of the disciplines or methodological approaches that are employed at any time. Incipit hosts specialists from many fields, such as anthropologists, archaeologists, architects, astrophysicists, educators, historians, linguists, philosophers, or software engineers.

The common problem tackled by Incipit is that of cultural heritage and, more specifically, the value chain of heritage and heritage formation (how heritage becomes heritage). This is approached from a wide range of perspectives, from the most basic and theoretical to the very applied and product-oriented. Incipit carries out work in many countries beyond Galicia and Spain, especially in South America and Sub-Saharan Africa

Being an institute of CSIC, Incipit not only carries out research but also develops education activities, dissemination, and specialised services. CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) is the largest public research organisation in Spain.

Strategic plan

Incipit is guided by a strategic plan that is reviewed regularly. The current strategic plan is described below.

Interdisciplinary Research on Cultural Heritage

Landscape Archaeology and Cultural Landscapes

We study the processes of human construction of the landscape, examining their relationship with economic, social and cultural dynamics, and characterizing their evolution through prehistory and history. It also aims to discover the concept of space, and secondarily the concepts of time and nature, which guide spatial human actions and underlie the materialization of the social being in spatial terms. It includes studies on cultural astronomy and archaeoastronomy.

Theoretical and Historiographic Research on Cultural Heritage Studies

We study the circumstances that constitute the operational field of the disciplines that work on heritage, in order to develop a theoretical insight into their possibilities and validity as tools for the management of the social reality and the production of value, specifically, within the part of this reality constituted by cultural heritage.

Processes of Heritage Formation: Memory, Identities and Conflict

We study the processes of heritage formation in the present and the past. In particular, the sub-line focuses on the relationship between cultural heritage, memory and identity, with the aim to answer the following questions: What are the mechanisms by which societies produce their cultural heritage? What are the roles of the different social agents in these processes? What is the role of cultural heritage in times of crisis? It includes studies on ethnography and archaeology of the contemporary world as well as historical memory.

Socio-economics of Cultural Heritage

We employ an integrated set of approaches towards cultural heritage from disciplines that are not linked to the interpretation and management of heritage elements. This includes sociological, anthropological, economic and political investigations into cultural heritage. The object of the study is cultural heritage itself as a social reality, in its different dimensions within a context marked by the post-industrial society and the transition towards a knowledge-based socio-economy.

Material Culture and Formalization Processes of Cultural Heritage

We study material culture through the archaeological record, linking its transformations with the socio-cultural processes attested in Iberian, European and post-colonial contexts. We attempt to determine how the patterns of regularity and changes of style are linked to processes of socio-cultural change and to strategies of definition of social identity in the past and present communities.

Semantic Technologies for Cultural Heritage

We work to create, select, develop, analyse, validate, demonstrate and disseminate the necessary technologies for the construction of meaning around the information that is generated and handled during work involving research on, and management of, cultural heritage.

Organisational structure

Incipit is organised around disciplines and units. Each discipline focusses on a particular field of study or methodological approach, whereas each unit, in addition, provides external services.

Disciplines

Anthropology

Co-ordinator: Cristina Sánchez-Carretero

It focuses on the study of different aspects of the cultural heritage of today's societies, mainly through the methodology of ethnographic fieldwork.

Archaeology

Co-ordinator: Felipe Criado-Boado

It focuses on the analysis and application of archaeological theories and practices (and, in particular, those from archaeology of buildings, material culture, archaeology of the present, and landscape archaeology) to study materialization processes, their correspondence with past and present socio-cultural contexts, their relationships to cultural heritage, their valorization, and their current usage.

Geospatial Technologies

Co-ordinator: César Parcero-Oubiña

It focuses on the use and development of technologies for the representation of geographic entities and the analysis of the associated information, all this applied to the study of cultural heritage. These technologies include geographical information systems as well as remote sensing.

Semantic Technologies

Co-ordinator: César González-Pérez

It focuses on using information technologies, specifically, software engineering, knowledge engineering, method engineering, and organizational theory, to understand, visualize, analyse, synthetize, communicate and document information that is relevant to cultural heritage studies.

Units

Valorization

Head: David Barreiro

Its mission is to study the valorization processes generated around cultural heritage, the valorization of Incipit's research processes and results, aiming to increase its social relevance according to its scientific strategy, and the promotion of the participation of Incipit in different ways in valorization processes generated around cultural heritage.

Research indicators

The production of Incipit in the last five years is summarised below.

Totals

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Publications
157
114
185
204
181
841
Publications
157
114
185
204
181
841
Participations in events
247
208
295
339
317
1406
Participations in events
247
208
295
339
317
1406
Funded projects
2
4
4
3
1
14
Funded projects
2
4
4
3
1
14
Infrastructure grants
0
0
0
0
0
0
Infrastructure grants
0
0
0
0
0
0
Scientific-technical products
7
15
59
72
46
199
Scientific-technical products
7
15
59
72
46
199
Academic works
8
17
22
13
11
71
Academic works
8
17
22
13
11
71
Stays done
3
5
8
9
5
30
Stays done
3
5
8
9
5
30
Stays hosted
10
14
23
30
13
90
Stays hosted
10
14
23
30
13
90

Publications

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Articles
83
59
83
103
60
388
Articles
83
59
83
103
60
388
Books
6
2
7
1
7
23
Books
6
2
7
1
7
23
Book sections
40
36
49
59
46
230
Book sections
40
36
49
59
46
230
Brochures/Leaflets
0
0
2
0
0
2
Brochures/Leaflets
0
0
2
0
0
2
Comments
1
4
0
0
0
5
Comments
1
4
0
0
0
5
Edited books
1
1
4
6
4
16
Edited books
1
1
4
6
4
16
Forewords
1
1
2
0
1
5
Forewords
1
1
2
0
1
5
Posters
0
1
0
0
2
3
Posters
0
1
0
0
2
3
Press articles or press releases
17
2
12
2
3
36
Press articles or press releases
17
2
12
2
3
36
Results documents
3
0
12
21
46
82
Results documents
3
0
12
21
46
82
Reviews
2
6
10
8
9
35
Reviews
2
6
10
8
9
35
Special issues of journals
3
2
4
4
3
16
Special issues of journals
3
2
4
4
3
16

Participations in events

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Conferences
59
52
57
90
62
320
Conferences
59
52
57
90
62
320
Demonstrations
0
0
2
2
0
4
Demonstrations
0
0
2
2
0
4
Exhibitions
1
1
0
2
4
8
Exhibitions
1
1
0
2
4
8
Groups of talks
11
8
16
18
15
68
Groups of talks
11
8
16
18
15
68
Guiding activities
1
4
10
19
14
48
Guiding activities
1
4
10
19
14
48
Independent courses
7
6
6
4
3
26
Independent courses
7
6
6
4
3
26
Master's courses
16
10
5
8
10
49
Master's courses
16
10
5
8
10
49
Mini-conferences
34
21
26
27
34
142
Mini-conferences
34
21
26
27
34
142
Others
4
4
7
16
9
40
Others
4
4
7
16
9
40
Postgraduate courses
10
7
13
7
9
46
Postgraduate courses
10
7
13
7
9
46
Roundtables
8
13
16
9
13
59
Roundtables
8
13
16
9
13
59
Talks
84
68
106
119
108
485
Talks
84
68
106
119
108
485
Undergraduate courses
5
7
7
8
12
39
Undergraduate courses
5
7
7
8
12
39
Workshops
7
7
24
10
24
72
Workshops
7
7
24
10
24
72

Funded projects

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Agreement
0
0
0
0
0
0
Agreement
0
0
0
0
0
0
Consortium
0
0
0
0
0
0
Consortium
0
0
0
0
0
0
Contract
1
2
3
2
0
8
Contract
1
2
3
2
0
8
Grant
1
2
0
1
0
4
Grant
1
2
0
1
0
4
Other
0
0
1
0
1
2
Other
0
0
1
0
1
2

Scientific-technical products

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Audio/video productions
3
14
48
31
24
120
Audio/video productions
3
14
48
31
24
120
Combined
1
1
4
32
12
50
Combined
1
1
4
32
12
50
Datasets
2
0
3
5
5
15
Datasets
2
0
3
5
5
15
Devices
0
0
0
0
0
0
Devices
0
0
0
0
0
0
Software applications
0
0
1
1
0
2
Software applications
0
0
1
1
0
2
Web resources
1
0
3
3
5
12
Web resources
1
0
3
3
5
12

Academic works

 
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Total
Master's theses
6
13
15
8
8
50
Master's theses
6
13
15
8
8
50
PhD theses
2
4
6
5
3
20
PhD theses
2
4
6
5
3
20
Postgraduate theses
0
0
1
0
0
1
Postgraduate theses
0
0
1
0
0
1
Undergraduate theses
0
0
0
0
0
0
Undergraduate theses
0
0
0
0
0
0