NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM SCIENCE & DIGITISATION CENTRE
A planetary emergency demands an unprece- dented response. We’re securing the future of the collections and embarking on a new era of explo- ration and discovery to unlock crucial data and de- liver innovative solutions for nature. With over 80 million objects spanning billions of years and representing planetary to microscopic scales, the collections at the Museum are a pow- erful scientific tool. For people and planet to thrive, we must harness this power. The Museum’s new science and digitisation centre will be a gateway to the natural world, dedicated to widening access to vital scientific information and developing novel analytical technologies to understand 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, and the Museum 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, analyti- cal and genomic technologies and facilities. The centre will enable Museum scientists, visiting researchers, partners and collaborators around the world to address urgent questions and devel- op new solutions to global challenges; from track- ing 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 capability and impact. Which collections are moving? Collections that will be at the science centre in- clude:
Zoology (invertebrate collections) Mammal collections Fossil mammal collection Fossil invertebrates Micropalaeontology collections Ocean bottom deposit collection Molecular collections Associated library material
The collections on the move are vast in terms of size and diversity. It ranges from whale skulls to micro fossils. Our giraffes and fossil rhinos will also be making TVSP home along with 9.5 kilometers of library material and the most delicate sponges. In addition to new collections storage facilities, the energy efficient building will house laboratories, digitisation suites, collaborative research spaces, computing labs, conservation labs and workspac- es. These will be available for Museum scientists and visiting researchers. This is a long-term project to secure the future of the collections. 2022-2027 The collections are prepared for the move, and we develop our partnership and research programme. 2025-2026 Construction is complete. Collections and people start to move into the centre.
innovation in the UK, with close links to the Univer- sity 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 re- searchers and partners than ever before to drive forward scientific innovation. Harnessing digital data Demand for digital data from the Museum’s col- lections 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 ad - vancements in food security, biodiversity conser- vation, medicine discovery and minerals explora- tion, 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 his - torical, geographic and taxonomic specimen data.
2027 The new centre is operational.
Collaborative solutions for nature Tackling the planetary emergency is not a solo project - it requires global collaboration. Our sci- ence 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
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