NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations

What NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations does

NEMO (Network of European Museum Organisations) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1992 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It functions as the pan-European representative body for museum organisations, with 188 member organisations across 40 European countries. The association is legally administered by the Deutscher Museumsbund e.V. (German Museums Association) and operates with a lean staff of 13 employees under Secretary General Julia Pagel, with parent-organisation Director Sylvia Willkomm. NEMO's core mission is advocacy for the museum sector at the European policy level and the provision of professional development services to its members.

NEMO's core offerings consist of convening, training, and knowledge-dissemination services rather than proprietary technology products. Its portfolio includes the annual NEMO European Museum Conference, training programmes, webinars, mentoring cohorts, working groups, and published toolkits — including the Cross-Border Cooperation Toolkit (2021) and the Be Museumer Digital Transformation Programme (2021). The organisation also runs targeted initiatives such as the Ukrainian Museums Aid Project (2023) and the Mentoring Programme 2026, and participates in EU-funded projects such as TOWCHED. Collaboration with allied coalitions, including Culture Action Europe and the AgoraEU coalition, supports joint advocacy at the EU level.

NEMO's revenue model is dual-sourced: membership dues paid by its ~188 member organisations, complemented by EU co-funding obtained through project-based grants. As a non-profit network, NEMO is not commercially oriented; its value proposition is non-transactional — members receive advocacy representation, knowledge exchange, and professional development in exchange for dues and participation. Strategic positioning emphasises strengthening the network's role as the unified European voice of museums to EU institutions, with geographic expansion supported by deeper engagement across all 40 member countries.

Name

NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations

Legal name

Deutscher Museumsbund e.V.

Website

https://ne-mo.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NEMO is a Berlin-based non-profit association of 188 museum organisations across 40 European countries, founded in 1992 to advocate for the museum sector at the EU level and deliver professional development, conferences, training, and mentoring to its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum Association and Network Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Museum network services
• Cultural heritage advocacy
• Professional development training
• EU funding advisory
• Sectoral association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: NEMO operates as a membership organization with museum organizations and national museum associations as members. The network is legally administered by Deutscher Museumsbund and likely derives revenue from membership contributions.
2. EU Funding: NEMO receives co-funding from the European Union for activities and events. The organization participates in EU-funded projects such as inDICEs and TOWCHED EU as a project partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NEMO operates as a pan-European membership network that connects, advocates, and trains museum professionals. Its core activities include an annual European Museum Conference, thematic training programmes, webinars, one-to-one mentoring, working groups on digital transformation and sustainability, and advocacy representation of museums at the EU level. The network is supported by publications, toolkits, a monthly newsletter, and an EU funding opportunities database.

Product overview

NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations is a pan-European membership network that connects, advocates, and trains museum professionals. The organisation operates as a coordination body offering a portfolio of professional development services including the NEMO European Museum Conference (annual flagship event), NEMO Trainings (workshops on topics like decolonisation and data practices), NEMO Webinars (online sessions on cybersecurity, AI, and EU funding), and the One-to-One Mentoring Programme (delivered in partnership with GEM). NEMO supports the sector through Working Groups on Digital Transformation, Learning Museum, Resilience and Care, Sustainability and Climate Action, and Museum Futures, alongside publications such as the Cross-Border Cooperation Toolkit, Climate Action Map, and Museum Standards Guidelines. The network provides a membership programme connecting 188 museum organisations across 40 countries, a monthly newsletter, and a funding opportunities database covering EU programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEMO European Museum Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together museum professionals from across Europe for workshops, keynotes, and networking on pressing sector themes such as climate action and AI.
• NEMO Trainings Professional development workshops on topics including decolonisation, data practices, and cross-border cooperation, typically hosted in partnership with member organisations across Europe.
• NEMO Webinars Online sessions exploring topics such as cybersecurity, AI in museums, cross-border cooperation, and EU funding opportunities for museum professionals.
• NEMO One-to-One Mentoring Programme Personalised professional development programme delivered in partnership with the Group for Education in Museums (GEM), pairing experienced museum professionals with mentees for individual guidance.
• NEMO Working Groups Thematic communities of practice focused on Digital Transformation, The Learning Museum (LEM), Resilience and Care, Sustainability and Climate Action, and Think Tank on Museum Futures.
• NEMO Members' Meetup Regular networking gatherings for NEMO members to exchange experiences and collaborate on shared interests.
• Cross-Border Cooperation Toolkit Published guide providing recommendations for museums on developing international projects and accessing EU funding for cross-border cooperation.
• Interactive Map of Climate Actions by Museums Interactive online map showcasing climate action initiatives undertaken by museums across Europe.
• Museums, Climate and Politics Report Report guiding museums on taking political action in the sustainable transition.
• Museum Standards and Guidelines Publications Series of guidelines including 'Standards for Museums', 'Guidelines Developing Education and Public Engagement in Museums', and 'Practical Guide Digital Basic Cataloguing in 10 Principles', available in multiple languages including Ukrainian.
• NEMO Newsletter Monthly newsletter providing updates on museum news, events, and activities across the European museum sector.
• NEMO Membership Programme Network membership programme connecting museum organisations across Europe, with trial membership options available for new participants.
• Funding Opportunities Database Information portal on EU funding opportunities including Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, and AgoraEU programmes relevant to museums and cultural organisations.
• NEMO Network European network comprising 188 member organisations from 40 countries, facilitating connections and collaboration among museum professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ participants at European Museum Conference 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TOWCHED EUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NEMO is a project partner in TOWCHED EU, a project focused on co-creating sustainable futures with museum collections. NEMO shares calls for expression of interest inviting museums across Europe to participate in subcontracted activities supporting sustainability-oriented, collection-based initiatives.
• Culture Action Europe (CAE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024NEMO participates in the State of Culture Barometer Survey 2026 led by Culture Action Europe. NEMO encourages its members and the wider museum community to contribute to this survey. Both organizations collaborate on advocacy for stronger EU funding for culture through the AgoraEU coalition.
• European Museum Forum (EMF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023NEMO maintains close ties with the European Museum Forum which organizes the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA). NEMO promotes these awards and highlights winners who have participated in NEMO conferences.
• Deutscher Museumsbund e.V. (German Museums Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutscher Museumsbund is the parent organization that legally administers NEMO. The project office is located at the organization's premises in Berlin, Germany. This is the foundational relationship that enables NEMO's operations as a pan-European network.
• Cultural Heritage in Action (Eurocities, KEA, ERRIN, Europa Nostra, Architects Council of Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMO promotes peer-learning visits organized under the Cultural Heritage in Action scheme, a peer-learning scheme financed by the European Union. NEMO shares calls for museum professionals to participate in study visits to cities like Leeds and Zaragoza.
• ICOM GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMO cooperated with ICOM Germany on the ICOM aid project 'Ukrainian museums at risk – a three-step solution plan through knowledge, action and visibility'. The project (June 2023-June 2024) focused on digital preservation of collections, translating guidelines into Ukrainian, and supporting Ukrainian museums in digitizing their collections.
• Heritage Rescue Emergency Initiative (HERI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHERI is a Ukrainian initiative that NEMO has partnered with to support Ukrainian museums during the war. NEMO encouraged its members to donate to HERI and coordinated support actions for Ukrainian museums.
• European Museum Academy (EMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMO and EMA collaborate on representing the European museum sector. EMA's European Museum Report provides accounts from national representatives on how museums across Europe performed annually.
• GEM – Group for Education in MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEM is NEMO's UK-based partner for the One-to-One Mentoring Programme. This partnership delivers mentoring to museum and heritage professionals, with GEM providing expertise in museum education and professional development.
• inDICEs Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMO is a partner in the Horizon Europe funded project inDICEs (Measuring the Impact of Digital Culture). The project aims to empower Cultural and Creative Industries and policy-makers to understand the impact of digitisation and innovate the reuse of cultural assets.
• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMO receives co-funding from the European Union and participates in EU-funded projects. The EU flag appears on NEMO materials indicating co-funding status.
• Museoliitto (Finnish Museums Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish Museums Association supported the NEMO European Museum Conference 2023 held in Lahti, Finland as a local co-organizer.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Council of Museums (ICOM): Global museum network and standards body that organises International Museum Day, sets professional ethics, and represents museums at UNESCO. ICOM is the most direct global counterpart to NEMO, and the two collaborate (e.g., ICOM Germany on the Ukrainian museums aid project) while overlapping in advocacy, training, and member services for museums.
• Culture Action Europe: Brussels-based European cultural network representing the broader cultural sector beyond just museums. It leads the State of Culture Barometer and the AgoraEU coalition in which NEMO participates. The overlap in EU advocacy, member convening, and policy work makes Culture Action Europe NEMO's closest pan-European cultural peer.
• Europa Nostra: Pan-European heritage network advocating for cultural and natural heritage, partner in the Cultural Heritage in Action scheme alongside NEMO. Europa Nostra's broader heritage scope overlaps with NEMO's museum-sector focus, particularly on EU funding advocacy and cross-border cooperation.
• European Museum Academy (EMA): European museum sector collaboration partner of NEMO that publishes the European Museum Report and supports professional development. EMA shares NEMO's pan-European museum remit and represents an adjacent operational peer for sector representation and reporting.
• European Museum Forum (EMF): Organiser of the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA) and close collaborator of NEMO. EMF focuses on awards and recognition while NEMO focuses on networking, training, and advocacy; together they form a complementary ecosystem for the European museum sector.
• Deutscher Museumsbund e.V. (German Museums Association): NEMO's parent organisation and the German national museum association. It legally administers NEMO and shares overlapping advocacy and training functions at the national level, making it both the parent and a structural peer in museum-sector representation.
• Group for Education in Museums (GEM): UK-based professional group focused on museum and heritage education. GEM delivers the NEMO One-to-One Mentoring Programme and shares NEMO's training and professional-development remit, making it a tightly linked operational peer.

Broad incumbents

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM): The largest US museum membership organisation, providing accreditation, advocacy, and professional development to thousands of museums. AAM is the broadest functional equivalent of NEMO in a different geography, making it a relevant incumbent peer for benchmarking operating models and member services.
• European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam-based pan-European foundation funding culture and providing advocacy across the cultural sector, including AgoraEU coalition activity with NEMO. Its wider cultural remit and grant-making role make it a comparable incumbent for EU-level cultural-sector convening and funding strategy.

Regional players

• Museums Association (UK): UK-based membership body for museums and gallery professionals that delivers training, publishes Museums Journal, and runs annual conferences. It is NEMO's closest national-level museum association peer and a partner on the NEMO decolonisation training (2022).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5XQKvWi9vZ0fCs33Xx6zbw
• Facebookfacebook.com/NEMOoffice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nemooffice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations