About BRISMIS

It is the common goal and mission of natural science museums all over the world to increase the opportunities for the public to acquire scientific knowledge and science information, and to provide more and better scientific and cultural services. With a view to promoting the public’s interaction with science & technology, society and culture, as well as to enabling it to contribute to the development of local science & technology and culture, natural science museums around the world have attempted to launch in-depth cooperation on a global scale and been continuously improving their strength and innovation awareness through professional development and academic exchanges.

In 2013 the Chinese Government officially launched the initiative to build a "Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road" in order to achieve common development with the countries along the two routes (hereinafter referred to as the Belt and Road Initiative). It was well recognized that the Initiative will bring great opportunities to the economy and culture of the Belt and Road countries and beyond. Against that backdrop, the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museums (CANSM) hosted the First International Symposium on the Development of Natural Science Museums under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRISMIS2017) in Beijing, China, November 2017, bringing together representatives of UNESCO, ICOM, participants from 24 natural science museums representing 22 countries, and 9 government agencies and organizations, as well as delegates from natural science museums across China. 16 bilateral cooperation agreements and intents of cooperation were signed, and the Beijing Declaration was released during the Conference.

In order to consolidate the outcomes of BRISMIS 2017, develop a long-term mechanism and an international, comprehensive, and high-level platform through which relevant natural science museums can carry out cooperation and mutual learning, CANSM has successfully convened BRISMIS2019 and BRISMIS2021 in October, 2019 and December 2021 respectively. As an active response to the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, these conferences were convened to implement the bilateral Letter of Agreement signed between UNESCO and CANSM, deepen exchanges and cooperation among “BRI” natural science museums, and upgrade the services of BRISMIS as a platform for international cooperation among “BRI” natural science museums.