Over the centuries, religious built heritage played and essential role in Europe, shaping social, economic, environmental and cultural values. It defined communities and left a deep imprint on territorial development and their silhouettes, still visible in present-day city landscape. In Portugal, as well as in Norway, at present, the dominant religions face common challenges, socially, in terms of dwindling communities, environmentaly and economically, due to the reduction of the number of parishes and the territorial change that result from this. this often leads to a low utilization rate or even redundancy of religious buildings. The transHERITAGE iniciative aims to establish a first cooperation among Portuguese and Norwegian partners, aimed at knowledge sharing and creating access to innovative solutions using the transformative role of religious heritage: its potential to cause importante and enduring changes in the territories of northern and southern Europe.

The survey is part of a partnership between OBAP - Observatório do Associativismo Popular (Observatory of Popular Activism) and OPAC - Observatório Português das Atividades Culturais (Portuguese Observatory of Cultural Activities). The research aims to map and characterize Portuguese popular associations, based on a set of questions about these associations, their activities, members, leaders and projects.OBAP is a partnership project between the Confederação Portuguesa das Colectividades de Cultura, Recreio e Desporto (Portuguese Confederation of Culture, Recreation and Sport Associations) and two Portuguese universities, Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (namely the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology) and Universidade Lusófona, whose aim is to deepen knowledge about Portuguese grassroots associations.The OPAC is a structure set up in December 2018 at Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa within the framework of the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte), which is the institution responsible for its operation and scientific coordination. Its mission is to ensure the development of accurate and up-to-date research, studies and information related with several cultural domains and themes, aiming to contribute to current debates in Portuguese society and the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies.

The object of the present partnership between ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Alentejo [DRCAlentejo], through OPAC - Observatório Português das Atividades Culturais (Portuguese Observatory of Cultural Activities), is to carry out a preliminary diagnostic study to informe the subsequent definition of the Regional Plan for Culture of Alentejo for 2020-2030. The methodology is mixed, with the use of secondary statistical sources (official statistics) and documentary sources, survey by questionnaire (municipal councils and intermunicipal communities), individual interviews (managers and staff of public and private institutions) and focus groups (intermunicipal communities and private agents with activity in different cultural domains).  

The Study on the Artistic and Cultural Sector in Portugal is the result of an institutional partnership agreement between the Directorate-General for the Arts (DGARTES) and Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, through the Portuguese Observatory on Cultural Activities (OPAC), in order to follow the Council of Ministers Resolution no. 41/2020, of June 6th, which approved the Program for Economic and Social Stabilization. The Study aims to analyze the impacts of the crisis in the short and medium term, with the production of updated indicators that allow a rigorous characterization of the labor situation of workers in the sector, the existing facilities and artistic entities, in order to support strategic decision-making in the governmental area of culture, and inform public and private entities as well as citizens. The study has three objectives: - To survey and characterize culture professionals as self-employed, precarious or intermittent workers regarding social profiles and labor profiles and to identify impacts of the crisis by COVID-19 in the short and medium term through a national survey that reflects the situation of artists, authors, technicians; - Share with DGARTES indicators on the universe of the entities applying for arts support programs, in order to better adapt the model during its revision and in preparation for the new cycle of pluri-annual support that will come into force in early 2022; - Create the Artistic and Cultural Atlas of Portugal, for the characterization of cultural facilities and artistic structures and entities. 

Following the discussion promoted within the Working Group on Cultural Statistics of the Portuguese Statistical Council (2006-2010), a recommendation was approved in 2010 to be created a new project at Statistics Portugal (INE) that aimed to provide official statistics on classified cultural heritage. This study of the OPAC - Portuguese Observatory on Cultural Activities - aims to contribute to this achievement considering the cultural, social and economic relevance of the valorisation  of the classified cultural heritage, on the one hand, and the importance of official statistics as a fundamental instrument of public policies, on the other. From a methodological point of view, it comprehends an extensive survey by questionnaire focusing  public access. The available information on classified heritage is used to determine the universe which is the object of the survey - at this stage limited to the category of monuments with the protection of national monuments. This is an annual study started in 2019 (data referenced to 2018). The questionnaire of the 2020 edition included data referenced to 2019 and a module about impacts resulting from Covid-19.

 The Portuguese Observatory on Cultural Activities (OPAC) is an structure constituted within the framework of the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology of ISCTE--University Institute of Lisbon in December 2018, which is responsible for its scientific coordination and functioning. Its mission is the study, production and public availability of rigorous and updated information in the different cultural domains in order to contribute to the current debates in Portuguese society and to the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies.