MUSEUM FUR NATURKUNDE - LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR EVOLUTIONS- UND BIODIVERSITATSFORSCHUNG AN DER HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITAT ZU BERLIN

Their core work

The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is one of the world's largest natural history museums and a major Leibniz research institute focused on evolutionary biology and biodiversity. They combine world-class scientific collections (over 30 million specimens) with active research in ecology, evolution, earth sciences, and citizen science. Their work bridges fundamental research — from single-cell genomics of animal evolution to bat vocal learning — with applied biodiversity monitoring, Earth observation, and science-policy engagement. They are also a leading force in digitizing and networking European natural science collections for open research infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), MFN focused on Earth observation, ecosystem monitoring, and protected area management through projects like ECOPOTENTIAL and ERA-PLANET, alongside fundamental evolutionary biology (EvoCELL). From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward citizen science platforms, natural history collections digitization (SYNTHESYS PLUS, DiSSCo Prepare), and deeper evolutionary research including bat culture and salamander metamorphosis. The recent period shows a clear institutional pivot toward open science infrastructure and making museum collections digitally accessible across Europe.

MFN is moving toward becoming a central node in pan-European research infrastructure for digitized natural science collections and participatory science, making them an increasingly valuable partner for projects needing biodiversity data access or public engagement components.

How they like to work

MFN splits roughly evenly between coordinating (5 projects) and participating (8 projects), showing they are comfortable both leading and contributing. With 185 unique consortium partners across 34 countries, they operate as a highly connected hub rather than a closed-circle institution. Their coordination projects tend to be community-building platforms (EU-Citizen.Science, CS-SDG) or focused research (CULTSONG, META-MORPHOSIS), while they join large infrastructure consortia as a specialist partner.

An exceptionally well-connected institution with 185 unique partners across 34 countries, placing them among the most networked natural history institutions in H2020. Their partnerships span from large infrastructure consortia (SYNTHESYS PLUS, DiSSCo) to focused Marie Curie training networks across Europe.

What sets them apart

MFN occupies a rare intersection: it is simultaneously a world-class natural history museum, a Leibniz research institute, and a leader in citizen science and open research infrastructure. Few institutions can offer this combination of deep scientific collections (physical and digital), active evolutionary biology research, and proven experience building pan-European participatory platforms. For consortium builders, MFN brings both scientific credibility and public engagement reach that most pure research labs cannot match.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CULTSONG
  Their largest funded project (EUR 1.49M) as coordinator — an ERC-level study on whether vocal learning drives speciation in bats, an unusual and high-impact evolutionary question.
• EU-Citizen.Science
  Coordinated the development of a pan-European citizen science platform, establishing MFN as a go-to institution for participatory science infrastructure.
• DiSSCo Prepare
  Part of the ESFRI-roadmap preparatory phase for a Distributed System of Scientific Collections — positions MFN at the core of Europe's future natural science data infrastructure.