Fraunhofer IAO and MUSEUM BOOSTER will launch an innovation network for museums in July 2019. The goal of the Future Museum project is to assist museums in applying cutting-edge know-how and to create a network of museum leaders, public authorities, donors and suppliers for the exchange of ideas and for collaboration.
Today’s museum visitors are looking for an experience. Museums are part of an eco-system that is dynamically evolving as a result of digital change and societal trends. Whether in the tourism industry, transportation, hospitality, private and public businesses: technological developments – from self-driving cars to micropayments and voice-based assistants such as chatbots – are paving the way for new forms of interaction and entertainment. These trends offer museum specialists whole new possibilities to appeal to visitors by creating interactive, intuitive and attractive exhibition spaces.
Over a period of 24 months – starting from July 2019 – Fraunhofer IAO and research and consultancy group MUSEUM BOOSTER are initiating an innovation network in which an exclusive circle of museums and suppliers will collaborate to identify key trends for museums. The Future Museum research project will consist of three phases:
Various networking events and best-practice visits, workshops and presentations of research results are planned in order to establish connections among the partners and ensure the transfer of knowledge from research into practice. The research results for each of the three phases will be documented in reports and published in extracts. The project team is also developing a methodological tool that will enable museums and suppliers to evaluate innovations – for example, in the field of digitalization. Trend analyses, interviews with experts and assessments of the potential for applying technologies in the museum environment will serve as a basis for developing future scenarios for the museum sector. Project partners will be able to leverage the research results, methods and tools to identify strategic fields of action and gauge the potential of concrete solutions.
Fraunhofer IAO will assume responsibility for concept design and research work within the project, while MUSEUM BOOSTER will be responsible for the general organization and coordination of the innovation network. To play a part in actively shaping the scope of the project, potential partners from the museum environment, such as museum leaders, public authorities, donors and suppliers, should use the contact details provided.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO