Phase IV: Museums on the Frontline
Year(s): 2025 – 2027
Description:
Future Museum Phase IV marks the next step in the long-term applied research and foresight initiative led by Museum Booster, focusing on the reinvention and resilience of museums amid escalating global crises. In a period defined by political instability, economic hardship, social fragmentation, and environmental challenges, museums face the urgent task of proving their relevance, ensuring financial sustainability, and reasserting their societal role.
This phase shifts the perspective from adaptation to reinvention, emphasizing foresight, strategy, and collaboration for institutional transformation.
Research is organized around seven core dimensions:
Sustainability — Museums as engines of sustainable change
Well-being — Museums as essential spaces for resilience
Revenue & Technology — Museums as financially agile organisations
Future Relevance — Museums must matter
Audience Development — Museums must build loyalty
Cross-Sector Development — Museums must forge alliances
Digitalisation & Management — Museums must master data and costs
The methodology follows a participatory foresight approach, including collaborative scoping, desk research, interviews, focus groups, insight clustering, and co-creation labs. A series of research sprints (2025–2027) are planned, alternating between online and live meetings, ensuring that insights evolve through constant learning and exchange.
Output:
Future Museum Phase IV will generate a comprehensive suite of strategic foresight tools and research outputs, including:
Scenario decks outlining possible long-term developments for museums
Qualitative insight reports and stakeholder mappings to inform strategic decisions
Cross-sector case cards showcasing transferable innovations
Adaptable toolkits supporting foresight integration and institutional planning
Partners:
