International Museum Day 2020
2020-05-18 | Pará

AAMG 2020
2020-06-17 - 2020-06-20 | University of Kansas (Lawrence), KS, United States

Universeum 2020
2020-06-22 - 2020-06-26 | ULB & KU Leuven, Belgium
University museums and collections in the vanguard of contemporary societal debates
This main theme echoed the debate on the definition of museum in ICOM community. During the 2020 Universeum Annual Conference in Belgium, we would like to continue this debate and focus it specifically in relation to university museums (U-museums) and collections, questioning their role as actor of social and political change on one hand ; and how they deal with the challenges of their past on a second hand?

20th UMAC Annual General Meeting
2020-07-27 13:00 - 14:30 (Europe/Berlin) | ZOOM platform
More info here.

UMAC ORIGINS: Conversation with Lyndel King
2020-08-10 17:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London) | UMAC YouTube channel

UMAC Origins: Conversation with Bernice Murphy
2020-08-17 08:00 - 09:00 (Europe/London) | UMAC YouTube channel

Beirut Series: Conversation with Suzy Hakimian, Chair of ICOM-Lebanon
2020-08-27 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Berlin) | UMAC YouTube channel

UMAC ORIGINS: Conversation with Hugues Dreyssé
2020-08-31 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/London) | UMAC YouTube channel

UMAC AWARD 2020
2020-09-01 | Pará

Annoucement of the UMAC AWARD 2020
2020-09-28 | UMAC YouTube channel

UMAC Origins: Conversation with Panu Nykänen
2020-10-01 08:00 - 09:00 (Europe/Berlin) | UMAC YouTube channel

APRU 2020: University Museums Research Symposium
2020-11-07 - 2020-11-09 | National University of Singapore, Singapore

Patrimonio científico: Colecciones universitarias y estrategias digitais
2021-05-24 | Pará

Polyphonic Perspectives
2021-06-07 | Pará
Polyphonic Perspectives: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural materials in Museums and University Collections and global issues of repatriation and restitution.
A combined CAUMAC / UMAC / ICOM Australia webinar with the support of the National Museum of Australia.

Museums and universities are institutions centred on knowledge. As focal points with social, political and cultural authority, museums and universities both generate and transmit knowledge. Museums de-contextualise and re-contextualise objects in their collections. This means they can be both a constrainer and liberator of meaning. Museums have historically mediated meaning and access to meaning around collections and objects. Access to meaning can either challenge or embed paradigms of knowledge. Universities and museums were at the centre of political power when European colonisers spread across the globe. This involved massive displacements of cultural objects, scientific specimens and even human remains. Objects became a part of the trade in Imperial knowledge systems.

Many argue that now is the time for museums and universities to come to terms with this historical legacy. Museums and universities have many collections that are colonial legacies. There are demands from source communities for repatriation and restitution. Furthermore, audiences and students want to know how and why much of that material got there in the first place. There are calls for this reckoning with historical legacies to reshape universities and museums into new types of organisations through decolonization.

This webinar asks the questions (among others):
· Are museums and universities changing to incorporate new knowledge systems?
· Are museums and universities organisations that are capable of polyphony?
· Can these institutions be Indigenised?
· Do attempts to bring in new voices, perspectives and knowledge systems amount to more than tokenism or appropriation, or is real progress being made?

Read more here

Access here:

UNISOC 2022
2022-10-15 - 2022-10-17 | Hotel Iberostar Bella Vista, Playa de Varadero, Cuba
II CONGRESO CIENTIFICO INTERNACIONAL UNIVERSIDAD-SOCIEDAD 2022
Lema: Conciencia ante la Agenda 2030
15-17 Marzo 2022
CONVOCATORIA
La Universidad de Matanzas , en Cuba, invita a los docentes, consultores e investigadores de los Centros de Educación Superior (CES), escuelas ramales, instituciones científicas y otras entidades análogas, así como a directivos y técnicos de las empresas y órganos de administración pública, a productores, profesores, maestros y líderes comunitarios a participar en el II Congreso Científico Internacional Universidad-Sociedad.
Dedicado a Ecuador como país invitado y al 50 aniversario de la Educación Superior en Matanzas
Normas, ejes temáticos, fechas importantes y cuotas de pago — aqui
Coordinador: M. Sc. Armando Santana Montes de Oca
Email: patrimonio. cultural @umcc.cu, armando.20081991 @gmail.com
Email del Com. Organizador: congresounisoc2022@gmail.com

Supported by

Annual Meeting of ICOM-UMAC 2026 - Greece!
2026-10-12 00:00 - 2026-10-16 00:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Pará
«University Museums as actors for Sustainable Development»
Annual Meeting of ICOM-UMAC
Science and Technology Museum of the University of Patras, Greece October 12th to 16th, 2026
From October 12th to 16th, 2026, ICOM-UMAC, the International Council of Museums’ Committee for University Museums and Collections,will hold its annual meeting hosted by ICOM-Greece and the Science and Technology Museum of the University of Patras, at the Science and Technology Museum of the University of Patras, Greece.
Supported by the National Committees ICOM-France, ICOM Burkina Fasso, ICOM South Africa, the regional Alliances ICOM-Europe and ICOM-Africa and ICOFOM the Conference, will be held on-site and online.
The Conference languages are: English, French and Greek.
Universities play a crucial role in advancing United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by integrating them into their teaching, research and operational practices. They act as knowledge generators, leaders and drivers of cross-sectoral leadership, contributing to the pursuit of Sustainable Development.
University museums and collections can align with the Sustainable Development objectives of Universities and also play a crucial role through their collections and museum practice. The integration of the SDGs into U-Museums and collections presents both challenges and opportunities and may affect their everyday life practice.
University Museums and collections are valuable functions in the University and society. They may facilitate people’s access to and understanding of the University’s cultural, scientific, technological and environmental heritage while constituting important resources for education, lifelong learning and research. They can serve as valuable learning environments for University students, school students, teachers (Resolution 4 Empowering Museums in Achieving the SDGs through Youth, ICOM Dubai 2025) and the public providing hands-on experience fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable development issues. Through exhibitions and outreach programs focusing on museum education, they can approach, inform and engage different audiences in climate action, wellbeing and prosperity, human rights, inclusion and peace-related activities, building partnerships, promoting sustainable practices and behaviors, enhancing the effectiveness and implementation of the SDGs, and contributing to changing lifestyles.
Can University Museums become actors enhancing the role of universities for Sustainable Development? UMAC 2026 Conference will explore university museums’ & collections’ worldwide efforts to become powerful actors for Sustainable Development by serving as crucial sites for education, research, community engagement and showcasing university sustainability efforts, bridging academic knowledge with public understanding and action on issues like climate change, social justice, risk management and cultural heritage preservation, thereby enhancing the university’s broader societal role.

Sub-topics
1.The value of University collections in integrating the SDGs
2.University Museums and collections engaging in the educational community and the public for the SDGs
3.University Museums and collections at the forefront of the University’s strategy on Sustainable Development
4.University Museums’ contribution to educating on sustainable development in contexts facing security, environmental risks and climate challenges
5.North-South cooperation to strengthen the contribution of University Museums to the implementation of the SDG

PAPER AND POSTER PROPOSALS
MORE INFORMATION
WORKSHOP
To be announced
EXCURSION
To be announced
TRAVEL GRANTS
To be announced
ICOM-UMAC offer a limited number of travel grants for conference participants from countries 3-5 categories
Questions regarding the event may be addressed to:
umac2026.greece@gmail.com
