CollabFund | Networking Forum 2025: A Day of Collaboration and Exchange

On 20 November 2025, the CollabFund Networking Forum brought together the seven selected CollabFund project teams for a structured programme of presentations, discussions and networking opportunities. The forum aimed to provide visibility for the funded projects and enable focused interaction between the project teams and a transcontinental professional audience.

More than 80 people attended the forum, including TheMuseumsLab alumni, representatives of partner museums, fellows of the 2025 cohort, members of partner organisations, and colleagues from museums, universities, and cultural institutions across Africa and Europe.

A particular highlight was the three-minute project pitches delivered by each CollabFund team. This format required presenters to clearly and concisely articulate their project objectives, thematic focus, and collaborative approach. All teams prepared intensively in advance to ensure their pitches were clear and accessible to a diverse audience.

Following the pitch session, the audience selected the projects they wished to explore in greater depth and joined their Virtual Expo Stands, organised as breakout rooms. These sessions enabled project teams to share more detailed insights into their methods and implementation plans and engage in focused discussions with smaller groups.

Overall, the forum addressed key themes in contemporary museum practice, including decolonial approaches to collections, digital heritage and archiving, care-centred and participatory methodologies, and experimental artistic engagement. The CollabFund Networking Forum strengthened professional connections within TheMuseumsLab community and increased the visibility and the progression of the funded projects.

Stay tuned – over the next coming months, we will share updates on their recent developments, challenges, and milestones here on our blog and on social media.

The initiative TheMuseumsLab CollabFund is funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation).