The Directorate General of Education, Research, and Cultural Institutes is a central organ of the Ministry of Culture (MiC), with functions and duties stated in article 15 of the DPCM 2 December 2019 n. 169.
Specifically, the Directorate General:
- promotes knowledge of cultural heritage and its civic function locally, nationally, and internationally: it prepares the National Cultural Heritage Education Plan annually, overseeing the execution, monitoring, and assessment of the planned actions and issuing a report on the application of Article 9 of the Constitution. Through the Centre for Educational Services, it coordinates the system of educational services in museums and community, also in reference to the public with disabilities. It also develops and maintains integrated information campaigns;
- coordinates and fosters research programmes in the field of cultural heritage: it collaborates with public and private entities, with European and international research institutions, with the MUR and CNR on activities of coordination and promotion of university and research programmes in fields under the authority of the Ministry of Culture;
- develops, authorises and assesses MiC’s internal educational activities: it outlines educational objectives and detects and assesses needs; it is responsible for the drafting of the Three-Year Plan for educational activities, research and self-evaluation of the central and sub-central offices of the Ministry and the annual Education Plan. It plans, manages, and assesses staff training and professional development; it authorises all educational activities conducted at MiC facilities;
- supervises international education projects and training activities directed at external personnel: it coordinates international projects in areas where Italian experience and excellence is recognised, specifically that of the Ministry’s institutes. It carries out support activities for the central and sub-central institutes hosting internships. It promotes partnerships with the MI and the MUR and other entities in the field of teacher and professional training;
- deals with professional profiles in cultural heritage: it manages all the procedures related to the identification of competent professionals to perform actions regarding cultural heritage; it also oversees the maintenance and updating of professional lists;
- coordinates the activities of four central Institutes of the MiC: it performs the function of coordination, guidance and supervision for the Istituto Centrale del Restauro (Central Institute for Restoration), the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Workshop of Semi-Precious Stones), Istituto Centrale per la patologia degli archivi and del libro (Central Institute for Archives and Book Pathology), where Higher Education Schools issuing degrees equivalent to the Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage operate, with reference to their respective professional training courses, and the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica (Central Institute for Graphics).
