Researcher investigates the impact of a museum policy institutionalized at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) on the development of its museums and proposes strategies for its improvement.

The study conducted by Daniela Vicedomini Coelho highlights the importance of Museum Planning as an essential tool for the preservation and enhancement of the management of university museums and collections. Based on museum planning experiences at four museums linked to academic units at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), the research analyzes the impact of the establishment of UFU’s Museum System (SIMU) and proposes guidelines for its strengthening.

The investigation reveals that UFU houses a vast cultural and scientific heritage within five SIMU museums: the Cerrado Biodiversity Museum, the Museum of Minerals and Rocks, the DICA Museum – Fun with Science and Art, the Museum of Indigenous Peoples, and the University Art Museum. Despite the richness of these collections and their significant role in academic and professional training, as well as public engagement, challenges such as lack of recognition, limited staff, the absence of a professional museologist, and insufficient physical and financial resources still restrict the full potential of these institutions.

In this context, the research indicates that the involvement of museum teams in the development of the Museum Planning not only enhances the management of these spaces, increasing their educational and scientific relevance within academic communities, but also provides evidence of the power of the planning process as a liberating educational practice. This process allows teams to critically engage with their realities and transform them. “Our experiences with four museums in this system revealed that the planning processes were essential for organizing and directing projects and actions, reinforcing the role of museums as agents of social transformation,” emphasizes Daniela Vicedomini Coelho.

The institutionalization of SIMU in 2017, followed by the creation of a specific funding and support program in 2019 (PROMUS), represents significant milestones for UFU’s museums. However, the study highlights the need for greater integration between the museums and the university’s strategic guidelines. Based on the research findings, Daniela proposes strategic actions to strengthen SIMU, including structuring a shared technical team across museums, which “could function as a continuous innovation hub, critically examining collections and exploring their potential for teaching, research, and outreach activities,” explains the researcher. Other proposed actions include the creation of a Museology course and the mapping of additional collections at UFU. The implementation of these measures could be debated in an event format, potentially within the scope of UFU’s own Cultural Forum, ensuring that university museums are recognized as fundamental spaces for knowledge production and dissemination.

The study also places UFU’s experience within a broader context by analyzing data from the Brazilian Network of University Collections and Museums (RBCMU) and discussions from the VI and VII Permanent Forum of University Museums (FPMU), as well as by systematizing information on eleven museum and university collection networks present in Brazilian federal universities. The critical mapping conducted demonstrates that, at the national level, there is still a lack of specific public policies for university museums, underscoring the importance of initiatives such as SIMU.

The results of this study significantly contribute to the debate on the importance of university museums and collections in Brazil. “From the perspective of Sociomuseology, we understand that these spaces can position themselves as transformative agents, promoting inclusion, accessibility, and dialogue with diverse communities beyond academic circles. At the same time, the Museum Plan emerges as an essential tool for strategic, tactical, and operational planning, aimed at organizing and strengthening the activities of university museums and collections, while fostering closer connections between these spaces and other academic sectors,” concludes Daniela.

Daniela Vicedomini Coelho’s thesis was defended on February 21, 2025, and is available for consultation at Lusófona University in Lisbon. From a Sociomuseological perspective, this study represents an important step toward strengthening museum planning and valuing Brazil’s university heritage.