E-RIHS is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure dedicated to furthering research and innovation in heritage science, the interdisciplinary domain that combines STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) to better knowledge, conservation, and appreciation of cultural heritage. E-RIHS is structured around a Central Hub that coordinates with National Nodes, featuring fixed and mobile instruments at the national level of recognized excellence, physically accessible collections, archives and virtually accessible heritage data. With this organizational structure, E-RIHS strives to provide access to a broad array of state-of-the-art scientific equipment, advanced methodologies, data, training, repositories for standardized data storage, analysis and interpretation. The goal is to empower the community to progress in heritage science and enhance global access to its distributed facilities in a coordinated and efficient manner. The vision of E-RIHS is to ensure that heritage remains meaningful, relevant, and accessible in a diverse and changing world for the benefit of present and future citizens. Its mission is to serve the heritage science community by providing users, including both scholars and practitioners, with centrally managed access to expertise, know-how, research capacity, and resources through four integrated physical and virtual platforms. These are: ARCHLAB, on-site physical or digital archives of scientific information and reference collections; FIXLAB, fixed-located analytical facilities to study cultural heritage samples or movable objects; MOLAB, mobile labs and expert staff performing non-invasive and multi-technique diagnostic measurements of cultural heritage on-site; DIGILAB, virtual access to digital data repositories complemented with tools for creating new knowledge. ARCHLAB, MOLAB and FIXLAB have been already operational in previous European projects, while DIGILAB is currently in development. E-RIHS supports a wide variety of research, from object-focused case studies to large-scale long-term research projects. It also promotes best practices and delivers vanguard training through the HS Academy (Heritage Science Academy), while integrating world-leading European facilities into a unique organization that plays a significant cohesive role in the global heritage science community. The global dimension of E-RIHS is also underscored by its proposal to establish a Global Research Infrastructure, which was submitted to the G7 GSO (Group of Senior Officials on Global Research Infrastructures) in 2015. In this effort, the intergovernmental organization ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) is a key partner, positioned as a prospective permanent observer of E-RIHS ERIC-to-be.