EMA NEWSLETTER
We publish details of our current activities in an occasional Newsletter. Its Press Releases will continue to focus on individual announcements and events. A European Museum Expertise Foundation A dynamic and forward-looking organisation to stimulate innovative thinking in European museums.
EUROPEAN MUSEUM ACADEMY
NEWSLETTER
EMA publishes details of its current activities in an occasional Newsletter. Its Press Releases will continue to focus on individual announcements and events.
A European Museum Expertise Foundation
A dynamic and forward-looking organisation to stimulate innovative thinking in European museums
A Word From The Board
This issue offers a strong example of how European museum work continues to evolve through cooperation, research and education, even in times that are politically and financially demanding. Across our network, we see the same message repeated in different forms: museums are not standing still. They are developing new expertise, building new partnerships and finding fresh ways to remain meaningful for the public.
A key thread connecting many of the contributions in this edition is the growing relationship between heritage, technology and learning. Looking ahead, the Forum of Slavic Cultures reminds us that Heritage in Motion and beyond in 2026 is not only about digital formats, but about how we share memory, identity and creativity across borders. The idea of the Meta-Museum also invites us to reflect on how museums can extend their presence and relevance, reaching audiences not only through physical walls, but through participation, communication and new kinds of cultural space.
These developments are closely linked to the questions now being raised across Europe. NEMO’s calls for research on museums, AI and climate anxiety underline that the challenges we face are not only operational, but deeply societal. Museums are increasingly expected to respond with both competence and sensitivity, offering knowledge, dialogue and reassurance in an uncertain world. This is why education and professional development remain central. The EDUMaH Erasmus Mundus Master Programme and the IULM Master course on Museology, New Media and Museum Communication (Online) represent important pathways for strengthening skills, ethics and leadership for the next generation.
In this spirit of exchange and shared commitment, we are also pleased to include an interview with Emek Yılmaz Sancar, whose perspective reflects the importance of long-term vision and collaboration across the sector.
We are under pressure in many countries, and the climate we work in is getting harder. But we should not give up. The public is surely needing more from museums, not less, and we are expected to stand tall and provide interesting and engaging experiences based on our competences and values.
We can do this and more, if we continue to support one another and stand together.
Karl Murr
Chairperson of the EMA
A EUROPEAN MUSEUM EXPERTISE FOUNDATION
The 2025 EMA Annual Report
Strategic work
The European Museum Academy is developing with activities under the following headings:
– European Museum Academy Award schemes
– European Museum Academy Research and Projects
– European Museum Academy Education
– European Museum Academy Expertise and Communication
– European Museum Academy Publications
During 2025 there have been initiatives in several of these areas.
La Nube STEAM Discovery Center, El Paso, Texas, USA, winner of the 2025 Children in Museums Award
Summary from the Judges‘ Report
The Winner
La Nube STEAM Discovery Center, El Paso, United States. For its innovative design, inclusive ethos, and powerful impact, La Nube represents not only a transformative force for El Paso but also a model of excellence for children’s museums worldwide. It stands out as a ground-breaking institution at the intersection of science learning, community engagement, and cross-border dialogue. From its striking Snǿhetta-designed building – shaped like a cloud symbolising imagination without limits – to its deeply inclusive programmes. It redefines what a children’s museum can be in a border region. Through initiatives such as Connected Sky, which links visitors in real time with peers at La Rodadora in Ciudad Juárez, the museum fosters cross-border collaboration and cultural understanding.
Read more
EMA Awards 2025 Press Release and Judges’ Reports
In the wake of the 2025 EMA event in Budapest we now publish the judges’ reports for the EMA Awards (Luigi Micheletti Award and DASA Award) and the Art Museum Award.
We include a press release for wider use and reference.
Judges’ Report Luigi Micheletti Award and DASA Award (pdf) »
Judges’ Report Art Museum Award (pdf) »
EMA Awards press release September 2025 (pdf) »
EMA Awards and CMA 2026 have closing date of 15 March 2026.
PASCAL Observatory Brief: Advancing Aesthetic Education for Human Flourishing
PASCAL International Observatory has published a brief on Aesthetic Education, as part of its commitment to lifelong learning and cultural development. This interdisciplinary study explores how aesthetic education contributes to peacebuilding, critical thinking, and human flourishing within learning cities and museum environments.
Read more
FORUM OF SLAVIC CULTURES – Heritage in Motion and Beyond in 2026
The year 2026 will mark an exciting new chapter for Heritage in Motion (HIM). For the first time, the award will expand into a festival format, offering a broader and more open platform for contemporary heritage storytelling, digital creativity, and audiovisual innovation. The two-day festival in Bled, Slovenia (29–30 September 2026) will bring together international heritage professionals and institutions through keynote lectures, showcases of award-winning projects, thematic sessions, and roundtable discussions on topics such as digital engagement and community participation. The festival is organised by the EMA in cooperation with the FSK, with partners including Museum in Short and local cultural institutions.
Building on this momentum, 2026 will also include further opportunities for learning and collaboration. The Koper International Summer School of Museology will take place 24–27 May 2026, bringing together young professionals and students in museology and heritage studies. The programme will involve collaboration with the local community, UNESCO Center, ICOM Slovenia, Regional Museum Koper, the European Museum Academy, as well as partners of the Heritage in Motion Festival and the Živa Awards.
Meanwhile, the Živa Awards 2026, initiated by the Forum of Slavic Cultures, are already open for applications, inviting museums and heritage institutions to join a dynamic international network dedicated to the vitality of Slavic cultural heritage.
INTERVIEW WITH EMEK YILMAZ SANCAR
EMA continues interviewing experts in their field. For our current issue we have been speaking to Emek Yilmaz Sancar about her career, experiences, projects, role in EMA.
“Engaging with the European Museum Academy provided the essential multilateral framework and a set of shared professional standards. The EMA environment, its award programmes, projects, reports, meeting professionals from various European countries, exposed me to a vast array of solutions for common museum challenges (e.g., audience development, digital strategy, sustainability, education, funding, bureaucracy).”
Read more
NEMO: CALLS FOR RESEARCH – MUSEUMS, AI and CLIMATE ANXIETY
Calls for research – Museums, AI, and climate anxiety
In the doc, you will also find quick to share social media links about our two open calls for research. I’d be very grateful if you would find space to share them as well. Below follows a short text with links to the two calls for your website or newsletter:
Calls for research – Museums, AI, and climate anxiety
NEMO – the Network of European Museum Organisations is looking to commission researchers for two reports, both aiming to provide practical guidance for the museum sector. Apply to be part of shaping the future of museums with NEMO:
EDUCATION
EDUMaH Master Programme: Education in Museums & Heritage (Erasmus Mundus International Master)
This is a uniquely innovative and multidisciplinary programme that equips the next generation of museum and heritage professionals with the ability to engage with the various contexts (cultural, social, political) that they will encounter and which are needed for the 21st century. The programme includes placements, language learning and a minimum of three mobility periods in Europe.
Click here for further information.
IULM Master course: Museology and New Media and Museum Communication (On Line)
Our Master’s course has a unique approach to museology in its most innovative form, especially at a European level. It is carried out in collaboration with the European Museum Academy Foundation, which contributes with its experts and educational resources. Articulated e-learning is the key point: the online modules also offer students abroad the opportunity to take part in this course under careful tutoring. The programme is designed for those interested in acquiring skills in contemporary museology and the interconnections between museum and heritage, as well as in new media and museum communication.
Click here for further information
EMA in EU PROJECTS
META-MUSEUM
Latest edition of the META-MUSEUM Newsletter enters an exciting new phase! The project is moving beyond theory into the core of technical prototyping and neurophysiological testing and introduces the first issue of META-MUSEUM UNPACKED, a new short article series. It is designed to break down the complexities of the research into accessible, thought-provoking insights for the global community. Follow the Journey from the data labs in Amsterdam to the festival floors in Italy! The project aims to redefine how visitors interact with cultural heritage, and takes steps into a more dynamic phase where you are invited to join the conversation and see the progress in real-time:
- Read the full updates on the website: https://meta-museum-project.eu/meta-museum-newsletter-5/
- Follow META-MUSEUM on Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Join META-MUSEUM for behind-the-scenes insights, event highlights, and the latest from the neurophysiological research labs.
HERITALISE
HERITALISE has just published the State-of-the-Art Review: Digitisation of Cultural Heritage – Methodologies, Technologies and Best Practices. This report presents the outcomes of an international survey that reached over 1,200 professionals and institutions worldwide, mapping the current landscape of digitisation practices and identifying the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of cultural heritage. The survey, led by Heritage Malta and the UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage at the Cyprus University of Technology, with the collaboration of other HERITALISE partners, provides a global overview of how museums, archives, universities, and heritage organisations are engaging with digital tools to document and preserve both tangible and intangible heritage.
Read the review
EMA – European Museum Academy Foundation
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