The network was founded in autumn 2020, starting with a DFG roundtable. This was followed by several international workshops and further network meetings twice a year. In addition, the working groups 3-Way-Strategy, Thesauri, International Cooperation and Research Tool formed and began their work.
The open network currently includes provenance researchers, scholars from the fields of social anthropology, history, political science and art studies, and experts on digitisation in science and culture. They represent about 50 different institutions, such as libraries, archives, museums and collections, research funding and infrastructure institutions, including the Working Group Colonial Provenance of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V., the German Lost Art Foundation, the Specialised Information Services for African Studies and Social and Cultural Anthropology and the Coodination Centre for Scientific University Collections in Germany.
The network is mainly organised by: Anna-Maria Brandstetter, Sarah Fründt, Gesa Grimme, Matthias Harbeck, Sabine Imeri, Sarah Link, Aïsha Othmann, Anne Schumann-Douosson, Martin Stricker, Isabelle Reimann and Julia Zenker.