Natural History Museum collections, science and digitisation centre

A planetary emergency demands an unprecedented response. We’re securing the future of the collections by embarking on a new era of exploration and discovery to unlock crucial data and deliver innovative solutions for nature.

With over 80 million objects representing planetary to microscopic scales across billions of years, the collections at the Museum are a powerful scientific tool. For people and planet to thrive, we must harness this power.

The Museum’s new collections, science and digitisation centre will be a gateway to the natural world, dedicated to expanding access to vital scientific information and developing novel analytical technologies to understand the changing natural diversity.

The centre will be based at Thames Valley Science Park in Shinfield, Wokingham. The Science Park is owned and run by the University of Reading. As a world-leading science research centre, we are delighted to be entering into a partnership with another organisation that has environmental research and education at the core of its mission.

The 28 million specimens due to be housed at the centre will sit alongside innovative digital, analytical and genomic technologies and facilities.

The centre will enable researchers from around the world to tackle urgent environmental issues and find solutions to global challenges, from tracking genetic responses to climate change to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases.

The acceleration of digitisation will enable global access to the collections, transforming research capacity, capability and impact.

Our new facility in Shinfield will open up 16% more gallery space at South Kensington, which is currently used as storage for collections. Transforming these areas back into public spaces can help us create more advocates for the planet. 

Which collections are moving? 

Collections that will be at the science centre include: 

• Zoology (invertebrate collections)
• Mammal collections
• Fossil mammal collection
• Fossil invertebrates
• Micropalaeontology collections
• Ocean bottom deposit collection 
• Molecular collections 
• Associated library material

In addition to new collections storage facilities, the energy-efficient net-zero building will house state-of-the-art laboratories for molecular biology, conservation and specimen preparation. There will also be cryo-facilities for tissue storage, digitisation suites, collaborative research spaces, computing clusters and workspaces. These will be available for Museum scientists and visiting researchers.

Harnessing digital data

Demand for digital data from the Museum's collections is significant and rising. Digitisation is transforming how the collections are accessed and is revealing new information.

Over five million specimens have already been digitised and made openly accessible through the Museum's Data Portal, enabling new questions to be answered and deeper insights to be made.

Recent research has indicated that digitisation of the entire Museum collection could benefit advancements in food security, biodiversity conservation, medicine discovery and minerals exploration, with estimated economic value of more than £2bn.

The new centre will enable an acceleration and enhancement in digitisation, widening the door for the global scientific community to unrivalled historical, geographic and taxonomic specimen data.

Collaborative solutions for nature

Tackling the planetary emergency is not a solo project - it requires global collaboration. Our science is outward-facing and responsive, working across disciplines and delivering impact in areas of public and industrial need.

We have chosen to position this new centre at the heart of one of the leading hubs of technology and innovation in the UK, with close links to the University of Reading, to build on existing partnerships and develop new ones to maximise the impact of collections-based research.

Each year Museum scientists and more than 8,000 visiting researchers from across the globe use the Museum collections to study the natural world and inform action to protect it. Through the centre we will open up the collections, and the data contained within them, to even more researchers and partners than ever before to drive forward scientific innovation.

Whether you're interested in developing shared bids, delivering on grants, training partnerships, or something else, we're keen to discuss opportunities for collaboration, email us at growingscience@nhm.ac.uk

Changes to collections access

As we prepare for this move, access to staff and collections across all sites will be affected. Requests for visits and loans will be assessed on a case-by-case basis so please plan ahead and contact the relevant department to discuss your needs as early as possible.

To receive the latest updates on collections closures as they become available, sign up to the mailing list above. You can also explore over five million digital specimen collections through the online Data Portal, as well as the Museum’s Library & Archives collections.

This is a long-term project to secure the future of the collections