In February 2015, ICOM’s Strategic Allocation Review Commission (SAREC) met in Paris and awarded grants to 16 out of 38 applications submitted to ICOM by its committees. The applications for a grant must be submitted within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the organisation. They must cohere with the budget assigned to the network, as voted every year by the ICOM Executive Council.

This year, 16 out of 38 submitted projects, relating to a variety of different areas, were awarded grants, ranging from the funding of lectures and workshops to that of digital publications and specialised training sessions. The Commission particularly sought to support projects entailing cooperation among different committees and contributing to ICOM’s broader influence, beyond the symbolic borders of the network. In this respect, the Regional Conference of the International Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA) in Southern Africa, as well as a five-day workshop project in collaboration with ICOM Botswana, ICOM Zambia, ICOM Switzerland and colleagues from Malawi were particularly well appreciated. A workshop devoted to museums in the South Caucasus region, entitled “Fundraising, marketing and commercial activities in museums”, organised by ICOM Georgia, ICOM Armenia and ICOM Azerbaijan, will be financed as well; and a joint seminar by ICOM Burkina Faso, ICOM Niger and ICOM Côte d’Ivoire will be held during celebrations of International Museum Day 2015.

New publication projects have been honoured, with a focus on digital value. This notably concerns a project for an online publication by ICOM Slovakia entitled Original & Copy in a Museum. New Approaches to the Theory and Praxis of an Old Phenomenon. Other publication projects, such as the book to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ICOM Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC), will benefit from funding this year.

We wish all of these projects great success, and will monitor their progress over the course of 2015!