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
Why does the Agency for International Museum Cooperation exist?
International cooperation offers ways to address current challenges in the museum sector. Cross-border partnerships can increase museums’ visibility and help them become moreresilient and future-oriented. At the same time, international cooperation can also present challenges.
This is where we come in. As a central point of contact for international museum cooperation, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, we strengthen exchange between German museums and partners worldwide. We connect and support museum professionals who are interested in international projects or already involved in international cooperation. We develop individual solutions together – from developing an idea to sharing expertise and providing practical support for project implementation.
Who can use the Museum Agency’s services?
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. You can find the relevant contacts on our website at Contact.
What does the Museum Agency do?
Our free services and International Programmes interact with exhibition projects, services for museums, and formats for dialogue and networking as well as museum infrastructure. We also support and develop professional development programmes and create opportunities for museum professionals from around the world to meet and exchange knowledge. To this end, we participate in and organise workshops, conferences, and other dialogue formats.
Can I apply for funding from the museum agency?
Yes. You can find our current programmes supporting international museum cooperation and information on how to apply on our website under the International Programmes section.
Are the services free of charge?
Yes, our services are free of charge. Following an initial consultation, 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. Further information is available on our website under the Services section.
When was the Museum Agency established?
The Agency for International Museum Cooperation was founded on 25 October 2023 by the German Federal Government as a federally owned non-profit GmbH. Following its formal establishment, the Museumsagentur built up its infrastructure and team from mid-2024 onwards and laid the foundations for its current services through pilot projects. Since June 2025, the Museums Agency has been offering a range of services for museum professionals and continues to develop these further. Since autumn 2025, regular calls for applications have also been launched for the three international programmes Set Anchor Points, Engage in Dialogues and Open Perspectives. In summer 2026, a fourth funding programme, Find Constellations, was added to support international exhibition collaborations involving German collections.
Under Current, you can find information about past and upcoming projects, events and funding opportunities.
How is the Museum Agency organised?
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. From November 2026, an Academic Committee will advise and support the work of the Museum Agency.
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.
Our job openings are published here. Currently, there are no vacancies.