In the research centre IBBT-SMIT at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel several researchers are joining in the research cel 'Cultuurlab'. Research within this cel is situated at the intersection of culture and new media, or so called e-culture. More particularly the evolutions regarding virtual cultural participation, digital cultural content and e-culture policy are being measured, evaluated and contextualised. One of the key research activities concerns the mapping and explanation of the existing digital cultural content and the actual patterns of virtual cultural participation. Another key task is the assessment of the opportunities of recent applications and developments (social software, 3D environments, games, ... ) for the cultural sector.