The Agency for International Museum Cooperation has successfully concluded the first funding round of its programmes “Set anchor points” and “Engage in dialogues”. It is supporting 22 museums in Germany and their international partners in joint transnational initiatives. The funded activities aim to foster long-term collaboration, professional exchange, and the structural anchoring of international museum cooperation.
We look forward to the outstanding projects that we will support in 2026 within these programmes. In collaboration with partners across the African, Asian, and European continents, remarkable projects are underway – and we are eager to see how these international partnerships develop. We are also pleased about the new positions for international development at various German museums that will be realised through “Set anchor points”.
New positions for international development: “Set anchor points”
Through our funding, we are enabling positions at the following institutions:
- Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung (Bauhaus Archive / Museum for Design), Berlin
- Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden
- Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
- Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), Berlin
- ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien (ZKM | Center for Art and Media), Karlsruhe
Following its first call for applications, the museum agency is providing a total of 450,000 euros through the programme “Set anchor points” to support the establishment and consolidation of cross-departmental positions for international development in museums and exhibition venues with their own collections in Germany. The funding period is twelve months, with implementation to be completed by September 2027. The aim is to anchor international cooperation within the organisations themselves and to ensure strategic, long-term planning.
Funding in the “Engage in dialogues” programme
“Engage in dialogues” supports formats that facilitate entry into international cooperation and initiate partnerships:
- “Alternative Classroom”, Scientific Society Swakopmund – Swakopmund Museum, Namibia – Partner: Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum Hannover (State Museum Hanover), Germany
- “Bukerebe Community Workshop: Co-Developing Artistic and Educational Formats”, Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Ethnological Museum, National Museums in Berlin – Prussian Cultural Heritage, Germany – Partner: Himaya ya Omukama wa Ukerewe (Bukerebe Community), Mwanza Region, Tanzania; Bukindo Palace Museum (Bukerebe), Ukerewe Island, Tanzania; Zentralarchiv, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Central Archive, National Museums in Berlin – Prussian Cultural Heritage), Germany
- “Contextualizing Women Artists: A Turkish-German Dialogue”, TAM Museum, Berlin, Germany – Partner: İzmir Painting and Sculpture Museum, Türkiye
- “Revisiting shared history(ies). Museums in dialogue”, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Sammlung Moderne Kunst (Bavarian State Painting Collections, Modern Art Collection), Munich, Germany – Partner: Istanbul Modern, Türkiye; Münchner Stadtmuseum (Munich City Museum), Museum Brandhorst, Museum Fünf Kontinente (Museum Five Continents), Munich, Germany
- “Gotha: Treasury of European Court and Knowledge Culture”, Friedenstein Stiftung Gotha (Friedenstein Foundation Gotha), Germany – Partner: Xi’an Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts, China
- “Stories across borders: Reimagining Sudan’s distant and lost heritage”, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, National Museums in Berlin – Prussian Cultural Heritage), Germany – Partner: Sudan National Museum, National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Khartoum, Sudan
The globally oriented programme particularly supports workshops, working meetings, and training sessions (whether in-person, digital, or hybrid) that bring together diverse perspectives on museum work, reflect on existing practices, and develop new forms of collaboration. The programme is designed as impulse funding, creating spaces for dialogue on current questions in museum work and lays the foundation for international collaboration. The total funding amount is 125,000 euros, and projects must be implemented by December 2026.
Meet the jury
The selection of the funded projects and positions was made by an independent, international jury. Following a formal review of all applications by the museum agency, the jury reviewed, evaluated, and selected the projects based on established funding criteria.
The jury for this funding round consisted of the following members:
- Raphael Chikukwa, Executive Director & Chief Curator, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Amanda Mayne, Head of Partnerships: International Touring Exhibitions, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Barbara Plankensteiner, Director (Vorstand), MARKK – Museum am Rothenbaum, Kulturen und Künste der Welt, Hamburg, Germany
- Paul Spies, President, ICOM Germany, Berlin, Germany
- Florence Thurmes, Director General, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz (Chemnitz Art Collections), Germany
- Marius Winzeler, Deputy Director General / Director Grünes Gewölbe und Rüstkammer (Green Vault and Armoury), Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections), Germany
“These programmes send an important and timely signal in support of international museum collaboration in Germany. In times of tightening budgets, they reflect a clear commitment to dialogue-driven museum work and represent an investment in strong and sustainable museum structures. The selected projects address museological challenges while opening up concrete, future-oriented perspectives for global cooperation.” – Jury of the first funding round
“I would like to thank the jury for their responsible and professionally sound work. My thanks also go to the team at the museum agency. In a short space of time, we have developed sustainable funding programmes that specifically target the needs of museums and enable concrete international projects. The positive response to the first two calls for applications shows that the museum agency is closing a relevant gap. Museums in Germany possess extraordinary potential – with the museum agency, we are creating the necessary structures to provide targeted support to institutions of world-class standing in their international work.” — Silke Krummel, Director of the museum agency
Save the date: Next funding round launches in April
In April 2026, the museum agency will publish further calls for applications. Information on the funding programmes and application deadlines will soon be available here and in our newsletter.
Through its funding programmes, the museum agency initiates cooperation between German museums and partner institutions worldwide. These programmes support museum professionals in the design and implementation of global joint projects, enabling them to learn from one another, share expertise and experience, and address relevant themes through international exchange.