Activities programme
Scope
Our rich activities programme encompasses training for museum professionals, quality awareness and assessment programmes, workshops, strategy development, projects and awards.
Training
Our activities programme covers a wide range of sectors. We organize training programs – workshops, brainstorms, seminars, focus group meetings – within the framework of academic curricula as well as in the context of extramural programmes for museum professionals to develop their skills in the field of European intercultural communication and museum innovative practices.
It is a specific aim of the EMA Foundation to improve the possibilities for staff exchange programmes and to raise funds for travel grants addressed to young professionals so that they can profit from these opportunities for personal growth.
Quality
We encourage programmes focused on museum visitors’ studies to improve the quality of collections’ interpretation and services.
We offer a unique consultancy to assess a museum’s quality in terms of concepts, management, organisation and experiences.
Likewise, we support programmes focused on Total Quality Management in museums in the light of the concept of Public Quality in museums elaborated by Kenneth Hudson during the 25 years of his directorship of the European Museum of the Year Award organisation.
Strategy
We publish reports and other materials on issues of strategic interest for the enhancement of the museums’ role in contemporary society and to prepare them for the challenges of the future.
We are actively engaged in networking and foster a network of relevant individual and institutional partners throughout Europe.
Awards
We encourage and promote any other initiative which might contribute to the raising of the public profile of museums in Europe and the search for continuous improvement in all aspects of their activities. In this context, a special role is played by the organization of the Luigi Micheletti Award as a tool for recognizing excellence and creativity in European museums of science and industry. This award is part of a package called “The EMA Awards” which includes the EMA Prize, the DASA Award, the Heritage in Motion Award and the Museums in Short Award.
Special projects
Furthermore, we run a Special Projects scheme given the participation in EU programs dealing with active citizenship, cultural heritage, museums, archives and libraries, digitization of cultural heritage etc.
We collect materials and evidence of Kenneth Hudson’s works in cooperation with the University of Padua where a Kenneth Hudson library is held, catalogued and made accessible to postgraduate students focused on industrial heritage at an international level.
The European Museum Academy is a partner in a number of international projects. The Academy is to supply its network, its practical experience and museum experts in the field.
Current projects
META-MUSEUM: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Cultural Heritage
he META-MUSEUM project, funded by the EU with EMA as a partner, is actively advancing its research into how cultural heritage (CH) impacts individuals and fosters confidence and resilience.
HERITALISE Project Progress: Showcasing Innovation in Digital Heritage
The main goal of Heritalise is to relate to the various values and meanings of the CH object – artistic, historical, scientific, aesthetic, social, and economic – by knowledge graphs.
Past projects
UNESCO4ALL
The EU UNESCO4ALL TOUR project has been part of COSME, Europe’s program for small and medium-sized enterprises. Applicant and project leader was X23 Srl (Italy). The project is finished in 2022.
The resulting tourism packages are focused on UNESCO built heritage and in particular on churches, monasteries and cathedrals, thus according to a “spiritual” narrative logic (“The Soul of Europe”) and addressed to – but not limited to – people with visual impairments.
Tooteko, the technological partner, provides an innovative system that allows to navigate any 3D model with your finger tips and get in return an audio content. Translated in the language of heritage and visits, it means that any monument can be touched and heared, via a 3D model and dedicated smart devices. UNESCO sites involved in the project are : the Alhambra Palace (Spain), the Rila Monastery (Bulgaria), the Cathedral St James (Croatia), the Basilica of Aquileia (Italy).
See more:
See more on YouTube »
https://www.unesco4all-tour.eu/
MOI!
The MOI! Project – Museums of Impact – has been part of the Creative Europe program. The applicant and project leader was Museovirasto – Finnish National Heritage Board, Finland. The project ended in 2022.
The aim of the project has been to help museums increase their impact on and service for society by providing them with a framework for self-evaluation and quality development, using different existing European museum evaluation frameworks .
See more:
https://www.museumsofimpact.eu/en/
https://www.ne-mo.org/resources/moi-self-evaluation-tool
SoPHIA
The SoPHIA project – Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment – has been part of Europe’s Horizon 2020 program. The project was lead by the Università Degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy. The final conference was in December 2021.
The overall objective of the project was (and is) to develop and promote an impact assessment model, including indicators and standards, for historical environment and cultural heritage sites at urban level.
See more:
https://sophiaplatform.eu/en