THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

Their core work

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is America's national institution for Holocaust documentation, education, and remembrance, located in Washington, D.C. Within the European research landscape, it serves as a key transatlantic partner in the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), contributing its vast archival collections, survivor testimony databases, and research expertise. The museum brings irreplaceable American-held Holocaust documentation into a pan-European digital infrastructure, enabling researchers worldwide to discover and access dispersed archival materials. Its participation ensures that North American Holocaust sources are integrated into Europe's largest coordinated effort to make Holocaust research materials findable and accessible.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The museum's H2020 involvement shows remarkable consistency rather than dramatic shifts — all three projects are successive phases of the same EHRI initiative, spanning 2015 to 2025. The progression from the initial EHRI research infrastructure (2015-2019) through a preparatory phase (EHRI-PP, 2019-2023) and into EHRI-3 (2020-2025) reflects the infrastructure's maturation from a networked project into a permanent European Research Infrastructure. This trajectory suggests the museum has moved from contributing content and expertise toward helping shape a lasting institutional framework for Holocaust research.

The museum is deepening its commitment to EHRI as it transitions toward becoming a permanent European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), suggesting long-term transatlantic research collaboration in this domain.

How they like to work

The museum operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator — consistent with its role as a non-European partner contributing to a European-led infrastructure. It works within large consortia (26 unique partners across 17 countries), indicating comfort in broad international collaborations. Its loyalty to a single initiative across three funding phases signals reliability and deep institutional commitment rather than opportunistic project-hopping.

Through EHRI, the museum collaborates with 26 partners across 17 countries, forming one of the broadest geographic networks in Holocaust research. This spans major European archival institutions, universities, and memorial sites, with the museum serving as the primary North American node in this transatlantic research network.

What sets them apart

As the only U.S.-based institution in the EHRI consortium, the museum provides an irreplaceable transatlantic bridge, ensuring that major American-held Holocaust collections are accessible within the European research infrastructure. Its combination of world-class archival holdings, institutional prestige, and decade-long commitment to EHRI makes it a uniquely credible partner for any project involving historical documentation, digital archives, or cultural heritage infrastructure. For consortium builders in related fields, the museum also brings connections to the broader North American research and memorial community.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EHRI
  The foundational phase of Europe's Holocaust research infrastructure, and the museum's largest single EU grant at EUR 525,284, establishing the transatlantic archival network.
• EHRI-3
  The most recent and ongoing phase (2020-2025), representing the infrastructure's consolidation toward permanent status with EUR 341,731 in funding.
• EHRI-PP
  The preparatory phase for transforming EHRI into a permanent European research infrastructure — a critical governance and planning milestone.