**CALL FOR PROPOSALS NOW CLOSED – Thank you to those who submitted a proposal, we will be in touch in early July**

Museums+Tech 2018 will be held at the National Gallery, London, on Friday 19 October 2018. This call for proposals closes at 23:59 (London time) on Friday 1 June 2018.

MCG’s Museums+Tech 2018: the collaborative museum

2018 has heralded the #CultureisDigital report from DCMS which highlights how digital can work within the cultural sector as a springboard for wider engagement, and an expansion of museums’ potential as a tool to effect change. It identifies the cultural sector and technology as “the ultimate power couple”. With this remit in mind, our 2018 conference is asking whether digital in museums can open up our institutions to collaboration and democratisation.

How can a collaborative and participatory approach to projects, whether from within your institution, or partnered with external agencies or local communities, invite new audiences, bring higher quality content, and provide museums with important learning experiences for the future?

Can museums and technology help to create a progressively universalised museum with better access and broader audiences? Can it be the catalyst for active as opposed to passive participants?

What is the role of digital technologies and platforms, whether social media, mobile apps, websites, gallery guides, publications, podcasts, videos, or virtual or augmented reality experiences in creating a collaborative museum?

The MCG’s Museums+Tech 2018 conference seeks proposals for presentations addressing these issues. It’s time to celebrate good work, and share ideas for helping museums do better. We’re open to suggestions, but topics might include:

  • Creating the participatory museum with community led/funded projects
  • Digitisation of collections for open access
  • Museum collaboration with academic institutions and industry: what can museums learn? What can museums teach?
  • In house collaboration: How can digital contribute to creating a more cross-disciplinary approach to museums and culture?
  • Museums as a network; collaborating with each other
  • Museums as platforms, creating a more universal museum
  • Open data and open source projects: being open to collaboration and supporting communities of practice
  • How is digital in museums helping to create an active rather than a passive audience (e.g crowdsourcing and crowdfunding)?
  • The challenges around collaboration e.g. funding, IP issues, in house barriers, value for money, internal culture, knowledge, agendas, skills/experience
  • To what extent can technology democratise (or hinder) access to collections?
  • Digital collaboration as a tool for access and diversity, e.g. representation of BAME, LGBTQ+, disabilities
  • Do projects bring long lasting collaboration or short-term gain?

The MCG’s annual conference attracts speakers and participants from some of the most innovative museums, agencies and university programmes in the world. We’re keen to hear from practitioners, researchers, funders, and those from related cultural heritage and technology sectors. All submitted papers will be reviewed by experts in the field.

The conference programme will include long and short presentations, and you can suggest a length to suit your topic in the proposal form below. Short presentations are a great way for you to share useful ideas that others in the sector can try. Longer presentations let you provide a more detailed exploration of a topic or project.

Our audiences love our mixture of old and new voices. We have a great track record in presenting a diverse range of speakers, and we’ve started a profit-sharing scheme in acknowledgement of the resources required to attend and present at events. We can also provide some bursaries for speakers who would benefit from assistance with funds for travel, childcare etc. Please also read our Guidance for Speakers before submitting your proposal. Our events have a code of conduct designed to help everyone enjoy the event.

Proposals deadline

This call for proposals closed at 23:59 (London time) on Friday 1 June 2018. Our international Programme Committee will review proposals over the following weeks and you should hear from us in late June-early July. If you have any questions please email us at contact@museumscomputergroup.org.uk.