International Scholarly Alliances, Networks & Professional Societies

Serving on the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Advisory Group

As an appointed member of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Cultural and Creative Industries Advisory Group (CCIAG), Dr. Natalia Grincheva plays a key expert role in shaping global metrics for measuring cultural ecosystems. Serving alongside an international panel of cultural policy, economic, and statistical experts, Dr. Grincheva contributes directly to developing the global Cultural and Creative Ecosystem (CCE) Indicators Framework and its accompanying technical manual.

Her advisory mandate spans critical, multi-stage consultations designed to establish standardized indicators, definitions, and statistical tier classifications across key thematic dimensions—including creative production dynamics, cultural participation, economic value, capabilities, equity, governance, and environmental infrastructure. Participating in high-level working sessions at the UIS headquarters in Montreal and UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Prof Grincheva evaluates global consultation findings, helps resolve complex methodological divergences, and ensures the statistical feasibility of the framework. Through this strategic governance role, Prof Grincheva helps establish a rigorous, globally recognized benchmark that guides international cultural statistics, informs policy formulation, and advances data-driven understanding of cultural and creative industries worldwide.

Video credits: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) Media Crew.

Strategic Intellectual Leadership within the ICRRA

As an active member of the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (ICRRA) since 2021, Associate Professor Natalia Grincheva has served on the Research Repository Committee and consistently advanced the network's strategic trajectory.

Her intellectual leadership has been showcased through high-profile global convenings, including her February 2025 presentation on the Hallyu Tracker and her launch of the Unscripted Dialogues series in January 2026, which featured a live conversation with Professor Rhonda Zaharna to translate complex diplomatic theory into actionable policy practice.

Prof. Grincheva contributed strategic insights at the 2025 Berlin members' meeting, expanded the alliance's footprint by recruiting scholars across Latin America, and curated an international panel at the International Cultural Policy Research Conference in Ottawa, Canada—convening voices from Singapore, Ukraine, South Africa, and Colombia. Most notably, she spearheaded the international team of ICRRA scholars that authored the Consultation Report The Fractured Landscape of Culture and Peace, archived in the UNESCO Digital Library for the 2025 MONDIACULT Conference. Synthesizing critical perspectives on geopolitical instability, decolonization, and AI governance, Prof. Grincheva's leadership bridges academic rigor and high-level multilateral policy.