In the statutes of the Foundation, Hans Erni explains why he chose to locate his museum at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne: “The Hans Erni Foundation should offer insights and guidance that will help visitors to understand our technological age; the expressive materials of art should facilitate a process by which the spiritual currents of our times expressed through technical design are brought closer to us.”
Alongside exhibitions, the Hans Erni Foundation promotes and organises presentations and cultural events. Since 1981, it has sponsored the "Panta rhei" lecture series that aims to communicate an understanding of the changing world view to people.
