International research museums agree on joint global knowledge and collection network in Berlin
Press release from 11/08/2018
A total of 232 museum representatives from 109 institutions in 24 countries took part in the world's first conference of research museums from 4 to 6 November 2018. At the end of the conference, the participants signed a declaration emphasising that research museums around the world can work together to initiate the necessary social change processes.
At the same time, the cultural and natural history museums are committed to creating a global knowledge and collection network of research museums. The declaration by representatives of the world's leading research museums from the arts, culture, humanities, technology and nature states: "In the future, the dialogue between science, culture and society must be intensified in order to develop new innovative solutions for the challenges of the modern world using state-of-the-art science and international digital infrastructures."
The "Global Summit of Research Museums - the creative potential of research" was organised by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin as lead organiser for the research museums of the Leibniz Association and in cooperation with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Further co-operation partners are the Smithsonian Institution Washington, the Natural History Museum London and the British Museum, London. The conference is funded as part of the Leibniz Research Museums Action Plan, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the state governments of Bavaria, Berlin, Bremen, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
You can find the signed declaration here:
Towards a global knowledge and collection network of research museums
Research museums are guardians of global knowledge, biodiversity and cultural heritage. Their tangible and intangible collections contribute to a worldwide infrastructure of knowledge. This is used for research, teaching, social and scientific engagement, transcending cultural or geographical boundaries.
Research museums are an integral part of science and society. Their research addresses the global challenges of our modern world, spanning a wide range of disciplines such as natural sciences, humanities, arts and applied sciences and a broad spectrum of methodologies. They conduct scientific, collaborative and interdisciplinary research, develop collections and communicate knowledge in dialogue and cooperation with a broad and diverse public. Research in museums aims to preserve, document and develop our natural and cultural heritage as a source of knowledge and identity and as a global scientific and cultural infrastructure.
They connect science, humanities, cultures and society in a unique way and act as facilitators, mediators and innovators in supporting democracy, human rights and the global knowledge society. Their innovative communication, public programmes and exhibitions reach a large population. At the same time, research museums are dynamic, actively engaging in continuous self-reflection on their own actions and cultural contexts.
In order to achieve these ambitious goals, our aim is to build a global knowledge and collection network of research museums and to strengthen cross-border networking and cooperation. Such a diversity of world perspectives is an expression of our shared responsibility for the globalisation of knowledge and heritage. We take our responsibility seriously and are committed to building and maintaining integrative, diverse and strong knowledge communities and infrastructures.
In the future, the dialogue between science, humanities, cultures and society must be intensified in order to develop new innovative solutions to the challenges of the modern world using cutting-edge science and international digital infrastructures. We continue to drive these developments in order to strengthen our institutions, to expand our impact on science, cultures and society, to assume our global responsibility for a better future and to support the sustainable development of humanity and our planet.