Imagine visiting a museum and instead of just looking at paintings, you could create a personal "mixtape" tour for a friend — picking artworks, adding your own stories, and gifting that experience digitally. That's what this project built. They also experimented with measuring visitors' emotional reactions to art and turning that into a playful way to explore museum spaces. The end result is a software toolbox that lets museum staff — even without tech skills — design these kinds of engaging hybrid digital-physical experiences.
Museums face a persistent challenge: making cultural heritage feel personal and emotionally engaging in an age of digital distraction. Standard audio guides and static displays fail to create the kind of meaningful, shareable experiences that drive repeat visits and word-of-mouth. Most museums lack the technical expertise to build sophisticated digital engagement tools in-house.
The project built a Gifting Platform, 2 working prototypes (Public Gifting Experiences and Intimate Gifting Experiences), and a documented Final Toolbox with design guidelines for creating personalized hybrid museum experiences. In total, 25 deliverables were produced including software releases and best practice recommendations for non-technical museum professionals.
If you are a museum struggling with declining repeat visits and low digital engagement — this project developed a Gifting Platform and software toolbox that lets your staff create personalized hybrid digital-physical visitor experiences without needing technical expertise. The tools were tested with a panel of 10 lead users from prominent European museums across 5 countries.
If you are a tourism company looking to differentiate cultural attractions in your portfolio — this project built prototype experiences that let visitors create personal digital 'mixtapes' of museum tours they can gift to others. The toolbox was developed with 8 consortium partners and validated with 10 museum lead users, providing a ready-made engagement layer for cultural destinations.
If you are an EdTech company building products for museums or heritage sites — this project produced a documented Final Toolbox with design guidelines and best practice recommendations for meaningful personalization. With 25 deliverables including 2 prototype experiences and a full platform, there is a substantial body of tested tools and methods ready for integration into commercial products.
The project received EUR 2,440,303 in EU funding to develop and test the full toolbox and platform over 3 years with 8 partners. The Final Toolbox was designed specifically for non-technical heritage professionals, which suggests lower implementation costs than custom development. Licensing or access terms would need to be discussed with the coordinator at IT University of Copenhagen.
The platform and toolbox were tested with a panel of 10 lead users from prominent European museums across 5 countries, indicating the design accounts for diverse institutional contexts. The documented software releases (Beta and Final Toolbox) suggest a product designed for broader adoption beyond the original test sites.
The project produced a Gifting Platform and a documented Final Toolbox as key deliverables. IP ownership typically sits with the consortium partners under Horizon 2020 rules. The coordinator at IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark) would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions.
Yes. The project developed and validated 2 ground-breaking prototypes — Public Gifting Experiences and Intimate Gifting Experiences — working with 10 lead users from prominent European museums. This practice-based research approach means the tools were shaped by real museum environments and visitor feedback.
The project explicitly aimed to provide tools that help non-technical experts in the heritage sector to build and experiment with meaningful personalization. The Final Toolbox includes design guidelines and best practice recommendations alongside the software, reducing the need for in-house technical teams.
Based on the project objective, the hybrid format contributes to economic growth through both ticket sales and digital sales by making physical visits and virtual museum experiences more engaging and attractive. Increased visitor curiosity and engagement directly supports repeat visits and new audience acquisition.
The GIFT consortium of 8 partners across 5 countries (Denmark, Netherlands, Serbia, Sweden, UK) blends academic research with practical delivery: 3 universities provide the research backbone, 2 industry partners and 3 SMEs bring commercial perspective, giving a 25% industry ratio. The coordinator is IT University of Copenhagen, a well-established Danish institution. Having 3 SMEs in the mix signals intent to create commercially viable tools, not just academic papers. The involvement of 10 external museum lead users as a validation panel adds real-world grounding that goes beyond the formal consortium.
IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark) — reach the project lead through the university's research department or the project website
Want to explore how the GIFT platform and toolbox could enhance visitor engagement at your museum or cultural venue? SciTransfer can connect you with the research team and help evaluate fit for your specific needs.
