The Kunstgewerbemuseum regularly documents and researches its holdings, publishes research findings, and presents the results of its work to scholars and the wider public. It exchanges information and engages in open dialogue on scientific developments with other museums, universities, institutes and researchers across the world. The museum is internationally acclaimed for its own scientific and restoration expertise in the areas of European decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the present day, as well as fashion and design, which it is committed to upholding and advancing further. The goals of the museum’s research are clearly defined and directly relate to significant focal points of the collection.

The main topics of current research at the Kunstgewerbemuseum are:

• Sacred art from the Middle Ages
• Medieval jewellery
• Furniture design during the Renaissance
• Figurative porcelain from the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM) Berlin
• 19th-century glass
• Fashion from the 18th to 20th centuries
• Research for the excellence cluster "Bild-Wissen-Gestaltung" (Image-Knowledge-Gestaltung) at the Humboldt-Universität, Berlin.

• The Enger Bursa Reliquary
• Clocks and Watches from Berlin Prior to 1918
• Catalogue: 19th Century Glass
• Exzellence cluster "Image Knowledge Gestaltung" / "Origins and Genealogy"
• Virtual Couture. 3D Digital Reconstruction and Animation

• Figurative porcelain from Berlin and its sculptural dimension 1750-1820
• Catalogue: Furniture and Woodwork from the Italian Renaissance
• The Romanesque Dome Reliquary from Cologne
• Database of Pilgrim Badges