The evaluation committee of the CIMUSET Award 2025 has carefully evaluated applicants for the CIMUSET Award 2025 in accordance with the award criteria.

The following two projects have been shortlisted as nominated projects for the CIMUSET Award 2025.

The winner will be announced during the CIMUSET Day at the ICOM Conference in November in Dubai.

Musée des Arts et Métiers, France

‘Carbon Footprint, the Exhibition!’ at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France, demonstrates the power of science and technology museums to confront global challenges while rethinking their own identities. This ambitious project shows how a historic institution can transform its collections and practices to speak directly to today’s ecological crisis.

The exhibition reinterprets nineteenth-century industrial collections – once symbols of progress – as part of the story of humanity’s growing carbon footprint. In doing so, it invites visitors to reflect critically on the relationship between science, technology, and the environment, and to consider how sustainable futures might be imagined.

The project also models sustainability in practice. By pioneering eco-design strategies, reusing existing materials, and collaborating with circular economy partners, the museum significantly reduced the exhibition’s own carbon footprint. At the same time, it opened its spaces to new forms of public engagement – repair cafés, workshops, and citizen-led initiatives – creating a dynamic forum for the exchange of diverse forms of knowledge.

In line with the new ICOM definition and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ‘Carbon Footprint, the Exhibition!’ positions the museum as an inclusive, socially relevant and engaged institution. It exemplifies innovation and renewal in science museums, making it a highly deserving candidate for the CIMUSET Award 2025.

Read more about the project here.

Science City, India

© Science City

‘On the Edge?’ at Science City, Kolkata demonstrates how science museums can take on urgent global challenges such as climate change with ambition, inclusivity, and impact. Unlike a temporary exhibition, this long-term commitment ensures sustained public engagement with one of the most pressing issues of our time.

Spanning a large, interactive space, the gallery combines cutting-edge technology with local stories and perspectives, linking global climate science to everyday experiences. By working with a wide range of stakeholders – from scientific institutions and climate experts to communities and educators – the project has created a robust and credible platform for dialogue and learning.

Accessibility is at the heart of the project. Entry to the gallery is free, making climate education available to all. Multilingual resources, universal design features, tactile models, and digital access extend its reach even further, ensuring no visitor is excluded.

Already experienced by over one million visitors, the gallery has proven both popular and impactful. It empowers individuals to recognise their own role in shaping a sustainable future, while inspiring other regions in India to replicate the model.

Inclusive, future-focused, and socially relevant, On the Edge? exemplifies how science museums can act as agents of change. It is a powerful, innovative project that makes Science City, Kolkata a highly deserving candidate for the CIMUSET Award 2025.

Read more about the project here.