CCB secures 2.5 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for renewal and enhancement

The Centro Cultural de Belém Foundation has secured funding of 2.5 million euros under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, within the investment programme “RE C04 i02 – Cultural Heritage”. The goal is to carry out a set of strategic projects that will renew and enhance its infrastructures.

The Financing Agreement was signed on the 10 July and establishes that all investments must be completed by the 30 June 2026.

This full support, covering one hundred per cent of the eligible total value excluding VAT, will be directed towards interventions that promote energy efficiency, technological modernisation and the safeguarding of built cultural heritage. These measures ensure that the CCB continues to affirm itself as one of the country’s leading cultural centres.

“This is a moment of great significance for the Centro Cultural de Belém Foundation. Securing this funding acknowledges the importance of our work and the heritage value of the CCB. Through these interventions, we address long identified needs within our teams, ensuring that the CCB remains fully aligned with its cultural, institutional and civic mission. We continue to uphold the levels of quality, comfort and innovation that our audience and our partners expect and deserve.”

Nuno Vassallo e Silva, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CCB Foundation.

Projects with a direct impact on cultural activity

The planned interventions focus on several structural areas of the CCB complex:

• Installation of HVAC in the MAC/CCB, improving thermal and environmental conditions through the replacement and modernisation of climate control systems. This includes replacing the cold and hot water circulation pumps with new equipment that consumes significantly less energy, approximately sixty five per cent less.
• Centralised technical management of the MAC/CCB, renewing monitoring and control systems with the aim of achieving both energy and functional optimisation. This involves implementing a new platform for data collection and energy performance analysis, guiding the building towards its carbon emission reduction targets.
• LED stage and architectural lighting in the auditoriums, upgrading the technical and artistic lighting of the CCB’s auditoriums, together with the replacement of electrical panels and dimmers. The new architectural lighting in the Grand Auditorium will consume four times less energy, resulting in a considerable reduction in energy use.
• Acquisition of lighting and audiovisual equipment, investing in cutting edge technology for the Conference Centre and other programming spaces. This will provide greater versatility and improved technical quality for events, while continuing the technological transition to more efficient solutions.

These projects will be carried out through public tenders, which have already been published, ensuring complete transparency and competitiveness in the procurement process.

Heritage enhancement

This funding is part of the Culture component of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which seeks, among other aims, to renew emblematic cultural facilities and adapt them to contemporary challenges, particularly environmental sustainability and digital transition.

The intervention at the CCB, supported by the Cultural Heritage Safeguard Fund, is a clear sign of the value placed on the CCB’s role as a space for creation, enjoyment and preservation of culture.

Beyond the technical dimension, the investments now approved reinforce the Foundation’s public mission by ensuring better conditions for welcoming artists, audiences and institutional partners, both national and international.

The CCB expresses its gratitude to all its employees, whose professionalism, dedication and vision made this moment possible. The implementation of these projects will be carried out with the same rigour and excellence that have shaped the institution’s history since its foundation.