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Future of collections: experts discuss at Berlin universities!
On the 9th-11th A conference on scientific collections will take place at the FU Berlin in October 2025. Experts discuss digital access and future questions.
Future of collections: experts discuss at Berlin universities!
The 16th annual conference for scientific university collections will take place from October 9th to 11th, 2025 at the Free University of Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Under the motto “Is collecting contemporary?” Experts from science, culture and politics will discuss the fundamental questions of collection practices at universities. The conference will give participants insights into the Berlin University Alliance's digital collection platform, which offers access to over 125 teaching and research collections. Exclusive collection visits are planned for October 10, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Free University and the Technical University of Berlin. Press representatives are invited to meet Dr. until October 8, 2025. Register Kerstin Wagner.
The conference program aims to address questions about the future of collections. The focus is particularly on topics such as the relevance of collections in changing or disappearing disciplines. This is of central importance because collections not only represent resources for research and teaching, but are also important instruments for knowledge transfer and social dialogue.
Digital collection platform as an innovation step
As part of the Berlin University Alliance, the online collection platform “Digital Network Collections” was introduced, which facilitates access to over 100 research and teaching collections in Berlin. This platform is designed for both the general public and scientists and promotes interdisciplinary research on objects from the university collections.
The offer includes various disciplines such as archaeology, educational sciences and physics. Users can search collections by institution, subject and material type. An announced search function for individual objects is intended to further improve usability. The central goal of this digital initiative is to increase the visibility of the various knowledge resources and enable bundled access.
Future prospects and promotion of digitalization
The collections located at Berlin universities benefit from model projects that support the digitization and networking of collections and objects. These projects are maintained by the Coordination Office for Scientific University Collections at the Center for Cultural Technology at Humboldt University. The central database promotes provenance research, scientific collaborations and citizen science projects.
A recommendation for action on the digitization of the collections has already been drawn up by May 2023. The newly established Digital Network Collections Office, which was launched in April 2024, acts as a central infrastructure and hub for all BUA collections. There, institutions receive support in digitization, provision of metadata and the development of digital applications.
With these initiatives, the Berlin University Alliance not only aims to increase the visibility of collections, but also to promote the responsible use of resources. The aim is to ensure the sustainable availability of digital copies and research data.
For further information about the conference and the detailed program procedures, those interested can visit the official websites: Free University of Berlin, Berlin University Alliance and Digital network collections.