The Humboldt Lab Dahlem was set up in 2012 and  ran until  2015. It was organized by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Conceived as a rehearsal room to boost creative synergies, it was specifically geared towards preparing organizers for the exhibitions in the future Humboldt Forum.

The Humboldt-Lab Dahlem contributed to and enriched the plans put forward by the Ethnologisches Museum and Museum für Asiatische Kunst as they progress towards the opening of the Humboldt Forum. The Lab did s this by proposing its own set of specific questions and coming up with innovative solutions.

The Lab enabled a team of museum curators, designers, artists, and scholars to work closely together as they gained valuable experience by completing a series of concentrated, short projects with playful yet practical applications. The experience they gained was then shared with other members of their profession, as well as with the wider public.

The results were presented from March 2013 till October 2015 in Dahlem. The Lab  comprised around 30 projects, in which visitors could participate in seven "Probebühnen" at the Dahlem Museums. They aimed to highlight the material challenges that face a modern-day exhibition that spans the ethnographic and the artistic.