Who We Are
We are the Agency for International Museum Cooperation. As a central contact, service provider, and sparring partner, we help museum professionals turn ideas that transcend boundaries into joint projects.
About Us
We aim to strengthen the exchange between German museums and their partners worldwide. Museums are places of encounters in which people can experience new perspectives – including those outside their own cultural contexts – and reflect on pressing issues of our time.
Connecting Ideas, People, and Museums
Through international cooperation, museums can exchange knowledge and experiences and jointly develop new models in areas that include curating, conservation and restoration, collection management, mediation, and digitalisation. It is rare for a collaboration to begin directly with an exhibition; rather, collaborations often begin primarily to overcome obstacles on the way towards realising projects. We connect museum professionals interested in international projects or support them when they are already working in a cooperation. With our services, we support individual museum projects while structurally advancing their internationalisation.
The Agency for International Museum Cooperation’s Supervisory Board oversees the museum agency’s management, advises the museum agency on strategic issues, and ensures compliance with its non-profit status. It supports the organisation’s long-term direction and ensures transparency towards its sole shareholder, the Federal Republic of Germany. The Supervisory Board includes representatives from the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the German Federal States. The Supervisory Board meets at least twice a year. In the future, a Specialist Advisory Board will also advise and support the museum agency’s work.
Members of the current Supervisory Board:
FAQs
What does the Agency for International Museum Cooperation do?
To strengthen exchanges between German museums and their partners worldwide, we connect and support museum professionals interested in cooperation or already involved in international projects. We find individual solutions – from the joint development of an idea to sharing expertise to the actual realisation of projects. Moreover, we design and support continuing education events such as workshops and conferences on current topics affecting museum work.
Our services and international programmes interact with exhibition projects, services for museums, and formats for dialogue and networking as well as museum infrastructure.
Who can benefit from the museum agency’s programmes and offers?
Our programmes and offers are aimed at German and international museums and museum professionals who want to develop transnational collaborations and partnerships. Other organisations and individuals dealing with issues of international cooperation in a museum context may also approach us with their interests and take advantage of our offers.
How can the museum agency make my work easier?
International cooperations are often accompanied by inherent challenges. Following an initial discussion, we will jointly seek and develop individual solutions suited to your purposes. For example, this could manifest as a workshop for your team or as tangible support for your exhibition project.
Can I apply for funding from the museum agency?
We are currently developing diverse programmes to fund international museum cooperation and actively support the international work of German museums. How and under what conditions funding can be applied for will soon be addressed on our website under the International Programmes section.
What events does the museum agency organise?
We create opportunities for museum professionals around the world to meet, exchange ideas, and share their knowledge. Accordingly, we participate in workshops, conferences, and other forms of dialogue and organise such events. More information is available on our website under the Current section.
How long has the museum agency existed, and what type of organisation is it?
The Agency for International Museum Cooperation was founded on 4 October 2023 by the German Federal Government as a federally owned non-profit GmbH. The sole shareholder is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the German Federal Foreign Office. The Supervisory Board includes representatives from the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the German Federal States. In future, a Specialist Advisory Board will advise and support the museum agency’s work.
What is the museum agency currently working on?
The museum agency has been establishing its infrastructure, team, and offerings since mid-2024. We are currently implementing pilot and model projects in the field of international museum cooperation. These projects serve as the basis for the development of services, offers, and programmes in exchange with museums in Germany and international partners. More information on previous, current, and upcoming projects can be found in the Current section of the website.
We develop models for international collaborations between museums and the transfer of knowledge, networking, and exchange beyond national borders. To achieve our objectives, we work with museums worldwide and assemble our team to bring together professionals with diverse areas of specialisation.
Future job opportunities will be posted here.