TheMuseumsLab 2026

Call for Applications
Funding programme for museum professionals from African and European countries

TheMuseumsLab is a platform for joint learning, perspective exchange, networking and career building among African and European professionals. Bringing them together to build bridges between individuals, institutions, nations and two continents for an engaged discussion on how museums can confront their past, meet the present needs of society and work towards an equitable future.
The programme consists of three seminar modules (online and onsite in Berlin and Kigali-Rwanda) lead by prominent African and European experts, a one-week residency at a renowned "African" or "European" partner institution.
The project is organised and implemented by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Several African and European museums as well as other cultural institutions are partners with the programme. The programme is financed by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Objective
Providing knowledge and competencies, fostering new ideas and approaches as well as establishing and upgrading networks.

Focus
Current issues and concepts of museum management, social impact and responsibility, localisation of content, as well as practical aspects of museums as institutions in the 21st century, divided into three modules.
In 2026, the overarching theme of the programme is "Building Futures from Memory:Museums and Memorial Sites as Agents." During the programme we will visit historical places relevant to the topic in Germany and Rwanda

Partners