GLAM Innovation Lab 2026

Is the digitisation of your collections progressing more slowly than expected? Does digital engagement sound promising, but you’re still looking for a truly innovative concept? Could your sponsorship management become more effective with the help of AI?

Many of these challenges are not new—yet institutions often try to solve them on their own. This consumes valuable time and resources, and promising ideas frequently get lost in day-to-day operations. Experience shows that when every organisation tackles the same problems independently, the wheel is reinvented time and again. Sometimes, even a single unsuccessful attempt is enough to delay important innovation efforts.

Over a period of three months, a protected innovation space will be created on IdeaSpace, where participants can submit, discuss, and prioritise challenges. From mid-October onwards, universities, research organisations, companies, and start-ups will also join the discussion, ask questions, and contribute initial solution ideas.

The most relevant challenges will take centre stage at the GLAM Innovation Lab on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology. During the event, interdisciplinary teams will work together to develop concrete solution concepts and – where possible – create initial prototypes or implementation roadmaps.
This in-person event is being held with the kind support of the Federal Ministry Housing, Arts, Culture, Media, and Sports, and in cooperation with the Vienna Museum of Science and Technology.

Whether your challenge relates to the digitisation of collections, digital engagement, artificial intelligence, accessibility, sustainability, or new ways of collaborating – your challenge could become the starting point for tomorrow’s innovation.

• Collections & Digitisation (digitisation, cataloguing, documentation, digital preservation)
• Artificial Intelligence & Automation (AI, metadata generation, translation, research support, intelligent assistance systems)
• Visitors & Engagement (exhibitions, interaction, education, digital engagement, gamification)
• Accessibility & Inclusion (physical and digital accessibility, multilingual services, inclusive visitor experiences)
• Museum Operations & Processes (workflows, resources, staffing, knowledge management, administration, sustainability, energy efficiency)
• Communication & Audience Development (marketing, social media, new audiences, visitor engagement)
• Funding & Business Models (crowdfunding, grants, sponsorship, revenue models, digital services)
• Other Challenges (new topics or challenges that do not fit into the categories above)

Please note: The registration form is available in German only. To register, please switch to the German version of this website using the language selector in the top right corner. The IdeaSpace platform itself is multilingual.