Collections of museum artifacts for networked digitalization
Üldinfo
Rahastaja:Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027
- https://centralbaltic.eu/
"The FestiSkills Hunters project is supported by the Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Society Foundation"
Programme aim:
PO7 - Improved public services and solutions for the citizens
Total budget: 213.065,76 euros
Programme co-financing 80%: 170.452,60 euros
Duration: 1. July 2026 - 31. Devemberr 2027
Homepage:
Projekti juhtpartner: Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation, ESTONIA
Projekti partner: Partner: The Finnish Local Heritage Federation, FINLAND
Project aim:
The COMAND project strengthens the digital capacity of small rural museums in Estonia and Finland, enabling them to preserve, connect, and share cultural heritage through joint digital collections, staff training, modern equipment, and innovative services that improve access for communities, schools, and tourists.
Project overview
The COMAND project addresses this challenge by strengthening the digital capacity of small museums and enabling them to preserve and present their collections and offer various services to wider audiences in innovative ways. The project’s overall objective is to improve public cultural services by supporting museums in their digital transformation.
The project will deliver:
- Training for at least 20 museum staff in e.g. digital curation, storytelling, exhibit design, communication and marketing.
- Digital equipment and infrastructure for 8–10 small museums (4–5 in each country).
- A joint cross-border digital outcome bringing together collections from Finland and Estonia.
- Awareness activities reaching at least 5,000 people, with a focus on schools, communities, and tourists.
The main beneficiaries will be small local museums, their staff, and the communities they serve. The public will gain easier access to cultural heritage, while schools and tourism stakeholders will benefit from engaging, freely available digital materials and services.
Estonia’s strong experience in digital public services complements Finland’s heritage conservation expertise. By combining resources, museums will avoid duplication, achieve better value through joint procurement of equipment, and build a long-term cooperation network.
Project involves: Peipsimaa Museum, Kalevipoja Koda, Liivi Museum, Iisaku museum, Kodavere heritage center from Estonia and Askola, Virrat and Askola Museum, Virrat Museum, Pernaja Museum, Museum of Wanha Woima / Cultural Heritage Centre in Finland
Activities
1. 21.07.2026 Project kick-off meeting in Tartu,
EstoniaPartners' meetingIntroduction of project objectives and action planAgreement on roles and responsibilities
2. Training program preparationTraining needs mapping
Compilation of training modulesInvolvement of trainers
Selection of participants
3. International trainings in Estonia and Finland
Topics:Digital curation
Digitization of museum collections
Digital storytelling
Creation of virtual exhibitions
Social media and marketing
Visitor engagement
4. Acquisition of digitization equipment
Cameras/ScannersRecording devicesRequired software
5. Training in the use of equipment
At least 20 trained museum staff8–10 equipped museums
Functional digitization infrastructure
6. Development of a common digital platform between Estonia and Finland
Creation of digital stories / Creation of virtual exhibitions / Testing of a common web solution
7. Public engagementSocial media campaignsInvolvement of tourism networks
Events introducing the project
8. Project completionFinal conferencePresentation of results
Evaluation of the project impact
Planning of future cooperation
Main results
Main results
- At least 20 trained museum specialists8–10 digitally more capable small museums
- A joint Estonian and Finnish digital cultural heritage platform
- More than 5,000 people participated in outreach and engagement activities
- Better access to cultural heritage for communities, schools and tourists
- Long-term cross-border cooperation between Estonian and Finnish small museums.