Policy and strategy

The Science Directorate is one of the 7 science departments at the Museum. The Science Directorate is a focus for the development of the Museum's policies for scientific research and collections management, and coordinates responses to various external policy initiatives.

Museum science policies

Collections management A summary of the policies for all of the Museum's science departments can be viewed here: Life and Earth Sciences and Library Collections: Curatorial Policies and Collections Management Procedures - 2003 (316KB) PDF
Human Remains The Museum holds human remains in its collections, some of which are tens of thousands of years old. These remains are an important resource for scientific research on human origins and related topics. The Museum has a policy on human remains that defines responsibilities and ways of working. For more information, contact John Jackson.in the Museum's Science Directorate.

Museum science strategy:

Our current Research framework PDF (85.2 KB)

External policy submissions and activities:

House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology: Inquiry on Strategically Important Minerals. Report of the Committee and Natural History Museum evidence from the Museum's Mineralogy Department.

The science of nature - science review

Find out more about the nature of science at the Museum in 2010.
Science review - the science of nature

Find out more about the nature of science at the Museum in 2009.