Direção-Geral do Património Cultural

The RPM is an autonomous body including 165 museums. The richness of its universe lies in the diversity of governing bodies, collections, spaces and premises, of both educational and cultural nature, including different types of relationship with the communities and diverse management systems.

Being an unquestionable symbol of quality, professionalism and rigour in museum practice, the RPM seeks to enhance each museum, while simultaneously capitalising on its overall strategic force. 

A reinforced RPM and the assurance that it provides qualified services to meet the requirements of the public contribute to enhancing the role of museums as agents of social change and as catalysts for the country’s cultural, economic and social development. 

Established within a Project Structure of the Portuguese Museums Institute in 2000, the RPM is an essential tool for implementing the national museum policy and accrediting Portuguese museums. Its main goals are to enhance and improve national museums, encourage cooperation among museums and between museums and other institutions, to decentralize resources, to plan and rationalise public investment from EU funding in museums, to disseminate museum information, to promote rigour and professionalism in museum practices and techniques, and to encourage professional training among its workforce.

As the national body responsible for ensuring cooperation and communication among museums and for providing assistance to the RPM, the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage – through the Museums, Conservation and Accreditation Department (DMCC) and the Museums and Accreditation Division (DMC) – facilitates networking among RPM museums through joint initiatives and communication, encourages training, information/dissemination and enhancement within the RPM and ensures accreditation of museums wishing to be included in the network.