Preserving cultural expressions while fostering change and innovation is one of the major challenges contemporary museums face. This will be the topic of the 2018 Young Museum Professionals Forum “Museums as cutting-edge spaces”, organized by ICOM and ICOM China. The Forum will take place in Fuzhou, China, from 23 to 26 November 2018, with the participation of museum professionals from all over the world. The participants will have the opportunity to discuss and share knowledge and experiences related to the three main focuses of the Forum:

• The Role of Museums in the Inheritance and Innovation of Local Traditional Culture
• Information Communication Technologies and New Social Images of Museums
• Young Museum Professionals and the Sustainable Development of Regional Culture

To promote the participation of professionals from other countries and regions, ICOM China is offering a number of travel grants to ICOM members. The grants will cover round-trip tickets in economy class, local accommodation, meals, and an excursion to nearby cultural sites. During the Forum, the grantees will be asked to make a formal presentation related to the topic of the event. All applicants must comply with the following conditions:

• Being an individual ICOM member residing in countries belonging to categories 2, 3 and 4, as defined in the ICOM membership grid;
• Having paid the ICOM membership dues for two consecutive years including the current year of application, or, in the case of a new or reinstated ICOM membership, having paid membership dues for 2018;
• Being 35 years old or younger by 31 December of 2018;
• Being fluent in both written and spoken English;
• Being officially recommended by a National or International ICOM Committee (each Committee can recommend only two candidates);
• Having a passport valid at least until 26 May 2019;
• Committing to give a presentation related to one of the three focuses of the Forum.

Applications should be submitted with all the requested documents before Midnight (CET) 10 September 2018, through the relevant online form. For additional information, please visit https://icom.museum/en/news/international-forum-of-young-museum-professionals-call-for-grant-application/