POEM · Project

Tools and Methods for Museums and Archives to Engage Diverse Communities

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Imagine museums, libraries, and archives trying to tell a story about European history — but large parts of the population don't see themselves in that story. POEM trained a new generation of professionals and built practical tools (the POEM Model and Toolbox) to help cultural institutions invite people from all backgrounds to contribute their memories and perspectives. Think of it as turning one-way exhibits into two-way conversations, using both digital platforms and in-person methods. The project brought together 21 organizations across 10 countries to figure out what works and what gets in the way.

By the numbers

consortium partners across sectors

countries represented in the research network

total deliverables produced

industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Cultural heritage institutions across Europe — museums, libraries, archives — are losing relevance with increasingly diverse populations who don't see their stories represented. Nationalist movements and social divisions make inclusive public memory more urgent, yet most institutions lack the methods, trained staff, and digital tools to genuinely involve diverse communities in heritage building.

The solution

What was built

The project's main tangible outputs are the POEM Model and POEM Toolbox, developed across 3 work packages covering institutional approaches, community engagement, and media infrastructure. In total, the project produced 27 deliverables. It also trained a cohort of early-career researchers as specialists in participatory heritage practices.

Audience

Who needs this

National and regional museum networks seeking to increase community engagementPublic libraries and archives digitizing collections and wanting participatory programsSocial enterprises and NGOs working on cultural integration and migrationDigital platform companies building tools for the cultural heritage sectorCity governments and cultural policy departments designing inclusion strategies

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Cultural Heritage & Museums

any

Target: Museum networks, national libraries, and public archives seeking to modernize visitor engagement

If you are a museum or archive struggling with declining visitor numbers and a lack of community relevance — this project developed the POEM Model and POEM Toolbox across 3 work packages, giving you tested methods and digital strategies for participatory heritage work. The toolbox was built with input from 21 consortium partners including memory institutions and civil society organizations, offering practical guidance on legal, organizational, and ethical issues around community participation.

Social Enterprise & Community Engagement

SME

Target: Social enterprises and NGOs working on integration, migration, or community cohesion programs

If you are a social enterprise addressing community divisions or cultural integration challenges — POEM produced 27 deliverables covering how to build connections between institutions, diverse community groups, and digital platforms. The project specifically studied what facilitates or hinders collaboration in contested heritage spaces, giving you evidence-based strategies to design inclusive programs that actually work.

Digital Media & EdTech

mid-size

Target: Companies building digital platforms for cultural content, storytelling, or community-driven media

If you are a digital platform company looking to serve the cultural heritage sector — POEM researched media infrastructures that enable participatory memory work, with findings from 10 countries. The POEM Toolbox includes design principles for digital tools that let diverse communities co-create cultural content, a growing market as institutions digitize and seek engagement beyond passive consumption.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement the POEM approach?

The POEM Model and Toolbox are research outputs from a publicly funded EU project (MSCA-ITN), so the core methodology is likely available at no licensing cost. Implementation costs would depend on your institution's size and digital infrastructure needs. Based on available project data, no specific pricing or cost figures were published.

Can this scale to a national museum network or large archive system?

The project was tested across 21 partner organizations in 10 countries, including universities, memory institutions, civil society organizations, and SMEs. This cross-national design suggests the methods are adaptable across different institutional sizes and cultural contexts, though each implementation would need local customization.

Who owns the intellectual property — can we use the POEM Toolbox?

As an MSCA-ITN project, results are typically subject to EU open access requirements. The POEM Model and Toolbox were developed collaboratively across 3 work packages. Contact the coordinator at the University of Hamburg for specific licensing and usage terms.

Is this just theory or has it been applied in real institutions?

The consortium included 4 industry partners, 3 research organizations, and 6 other organizations (including memory institutions and civil society groups) alongside 8 universities. The POEM Toolbox was developed jointly across all 3 work packages, suggesting practical testing in real institutional settings. However, detailed pilot results are not available in the summary data.

How does this address the digital side — social media and online engagement?

Digital media and social media were explicitly part of the project's scope, listed among its core research keywords. The project studied media infrastructures that enable participatory heritage work, covering socio-technical, organizational, legal, and ethical dimensions of digital community engagement.

What kind of professionals did the project train?

POEM trained early-stage researchers through an Innovative Training Network to act as change agents and problem solvers in heritage work. These professionals received training in cultural and social analysis plus transferable skills covering organizational, legal, economic, and ethical challenges in participatory memory practices.

Consortium

Who built it

The POEM consortium is heavily academic, with 8 universities out of 21 partners and only a 19% industry ratio (4 industry partners, just 1 SME). The remaining partners include 3 research organizations and 6 other entities — likely memory institutions and civil society groups. Spread across 10 countries, the network is geographically diverse, which is valuable for cross-cultural validation but also signals that the project was designed for research breadth rather than commercial depth. For a business buyer, this means the outputs are well-researched and internationally tested, but you would likely need a dedicated implementation partner to turn the POEM Toolbox into a deployable solution for your specific institution.

AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROUparticipant · CY
LUNDS UNIVERSITETpartner · SE
OPEN KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION DEUTSCHLAND EVpartner · DE
PROMOTER SRLpartner · IT
UPPSALA UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURGpartner · DE
ZENTRUM FUR SOZIALE INNOVATION GMBHpartner · AT
STIFTUNG PREUSSISCHER KULTURBESITZparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
WIKIMEDIA DEUTSCHLAND - GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG FREIEN WISSENS EVpartner · DE
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONpartner · US
NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYpartner · NA

How to reach the team

University of Hamburg, Germany — search for POEM project coordinator in the Faculty of Education or Cultural Studies department

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how the POEM Model and Toolbox can improve community engagement at your institution? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the research team and help you assess fit for your specific needs.

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