Presentation

Founded in 1771, the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales is one of the earliest nautral sciences museums and investigation institution in Europe. This is caused because of our scientific, historic, taxonomic and taxidermic value in the zoology and geologic collections. Also, we are one of the most important centers of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) about life area, and land and medioambiental subarea.

The Museum opens its doors everyday thanks to our more than 300 investigators, technical staff, PhDs, educators and administrative staff. We work in a multidisciplinary and collaborative methodology in the geology, paleobiology, environmental biogeochemistry, and ecology and biodiversity areas. We have the goal to study and understand the natural process complexity to be able to give scientific knowledge that helps to mitigate the climate crisis caused by the human activity. Also, we have as a goal to promote and communicate the knowledge that our team make to the society. To make this possible, we have highly qualified professionals dedicated to the design of exhibitions and scientific outreach programs.

Our main hope is knowing that our visitors learns and enjoys about the geology of the planet and the enormous biological diversity from the origin to our days. We also want them to learn about the geomorphological and evolutionary processes that have shaped the landscapes and ecosystems in which we live, in order to awaken scientific vocations in the youngest and encourage respect and care for nature throughout society.


Welcome to one of the oldest natural history Museums in the world!

A Museum with more than...

300.000 annual visitors

 

11.000.000 specimens of collections

1.5 million of euros in scientific proyects

 

170 annual scientific proyects

180.000 website views

 

17 laboratories and technical-scientific services

Legal Terms and Conditions

Mision

Our mision is to promote the natural science investigation. In this path, since 1980, the Museum works as a modern and competitive investigation center inside the CSIC infrastructure. Furthermore, we are repositories of an extraordinary geological, paleontological and biological heritage. Also, we are responsible for ensuring its conservation and availability to the scientific community, as well as the growth of the largest natural history collections in Spain. As a Natural Science Museum, we are a permanent, without lucrative aim and society oriented institution. We mus't communicate in an accessible way the scientific knowledge and educate and promote the conservation of our enviroment for the future generations.

Vision

The Museum is an investigation center, and, also, a museistic institution with one of the most important collections. In accordance to this, the main goals for the museum are: i) promote the excellence in the investigation and the collaboration between partners and colleges, inside the museum, and in national and international relationships; ii) promote the scientific exchange (especially in the collections sphere), and iii) make a bigger impact in the society and educate the news generations with the online and non-online promotion of our activities, expositions, and scientific divulgation.

Functions

  • Museistic: protect, conservate, increment and manage the scientific collections, and ease their diffusion and access with educational and scientifical purposes
  • Investigation: promote the multidisciplinar investigation about Natural Sciences. To make this possible, we use scientific proyects with public and private financing in an open access model.
  • Transference: advise to administrations, public institutions, public managers, enviromental managers, and private enterprises about scientific and enviromental themes (conservation, pollution, invasive species, natural hazard assessment, etc.).
  • Communication and divulgation: broadcast the scientific knowledge to the society, and raise awareness about the actual climate crisis caused by the human activitiy. Also, we wan't to give a path of how we can mitigate the effects, and educate about the respect of the natural heritage and to encourage new scientific vocations, especially among women.
  • Education: attract the best post-degree and post-doctoral students and researchers, and promote solid carrers giving an addecuate investigation and learning place.

Values

  • Excellence investigation.
  • Interdisciplinar scientific collaboration.
  • Promotion and care of the collections.
  • Respect and defense of the natural heritage and the biological diversity.
  • Social and scientific divulgation and education.
  • Public service.
  • Ethical governance, transparency and equality (ESG).
  • Professionality and quality service.