The pandemic transformed how people communicate, work, and consume all at once. Museums faced an abrupt pause, often left inaccessible for extended periods. In response, the European Union pushed for digitization of cultural centers to prevent a total disconnect with the public. The aim was clear: keep citizens connected to art and history even when doors were temporarily closed.
This momentum birthed Museu mNext, a program designed to accelerate the digitization of small and medium-sized museums. Its goal is to promote culture through digital tools and to elevate the role of the digital curator as a strategic profession needed to reach that goal.
With the program structure in place, the next step was selecting the institutions to participate. Gravina Fine Arts Museum in Alicante (MUBAG) joined forces with partners including the Marche Culture Foundation and Marche Polytechnic University from Italy, the University of Patras in Greece, the National Museum of Zadar in Croatia, and Inertia Digital in Spain. This collaboration marked MUBAG’s entry as the first European project participant from its city.
“The initiative grew from an Erasmus Plus program proposal presented to the Provincial Assembly requesting MUBAG to lead the effort,” explains the museum director, Jorge Soler, who oversees the center’s outreach. The pilot involved a geolocated app designed to build a detailed database, organize information, and attract more visitors by personalizing searches and weaving together artworks, artists, and provincial museums into curated routes.
“The aim is to research how this app can broaden the digital collection and disclose information more effectively,” notes María José Gadea, a Mubag technician involved in developing the project. The focus is to translate research into a user experience that feels inviting, informative, and easy to navigate, whether visitors are on site or exploring virtually.
Budget
The MuseumNext project carries a budget of 318,000 euros, fully funded by the European Union. The Alicante institution will receive more than 56,000 euros to facilitate activities within the province.
Each participating center is expected to execute a pilot action. Mubag’s pilot centers on a geolocation app, but the preparatory work requires thorough research, formal presentations, and engagement with provincial museums to ensure alignment and compliance.
The app’s value extends beyond preservation; it supports heritage transmission and tourism by creating a customized database and organizing information in a way that satisfies diverse visitor interests, whether they seek face-to-face encounters or virtual experiences.
Mubag champions 20th-century collections
Soler emphasizes a shift in museum strategy. The emphasis is moving away from simply producing displays to harnessing digitalization and digital tools for museum services. A new professional profile, the digital curator, is being developed to present cultural offerings in fresh formats. Currently, content creation is a central focus.
Participating museums, including Prado and MOMA, demonstrate that digital initiatives are a major leap. Mubag views this as a milestone for its European visibility and for sharing best practices with like-minded institutions, enabling information exchange and the development of innovative techniques.
Next meeting in Alicante
To date, partners have held international discussions and a training course to outline future digital projects across the selected locations. The latest sessions occurred in Patras, Greece, with Soler and Gadea taking part. The forthcoming action will be in Alicante, where the deputy of Culture, Julia Parra, and the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts will host a new project meeting at the end of February. Delegations from Italy, Greece, and Croatia will visit Alicante for the inaugural session to explore different initiatives. The meeting signals a renewed commitment to promoting Mubag’s international profile and to advancing modernization through new resources and tools.
The event will also include a pilot action to showcase the project and discuss potential development opportunities for other cultural and museum centers in the province. The discussion will underscore how digitalization and digital communication strategies can broaden access to culture and help bring knowledge to a wider audience.
This collaboration is viewed as an opportunity to accelerate necessary changes that expand public access to culture and improve the way information is shared across channels, making the cultural experience more inclusive and engaging for all.