MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE

Their core work

MNHN is France's premier natural history museum and a major research institution housing vast scientific collections spanning biodiversity, geology, anthropology, and paleontology. Beyond its public-facing role, it conducts active research in evolutionary biology, systematics, population genomics, and environmental monitoring. It serves as a critical infrastructure node for digitizing and opening access to European natural science collections, and contributes regulatory science expertise on endocrine disruptors and environmental health risks. The museum also bridges natural sciences with human sciences through archaeology, linguistics, and the history of science.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), MNHN focused on classical organismal biology — amphibian ecology, primate functional anatomy, freshwater species conservation — alongside initial involvement in endocrine disruptor risk assessment. From 2019 onward, the emphasis shifted markedly toward research infrastructure (SYNTHESYS PLUS, DiSSCo Prepare), open science, citizen science platforms, and large-scale genomic approaches to biodiversity (HYPERDIVERSE). The endocrine disruptor work continued but expanded from epidemiology toward regulatory testing frameworks and adverse outcome pathways.

MNHN is positioning itself as a European hub for digitized natural science collections and FAIR data infrastructure, while maintaining deep taxonomic and genomic research capacity — expect future projects at the intersection of biodiversity informatics and open science.

How they like to work

MNHN operates in two distinct modes: it coordinates smaller, focused research projects (9 as coordinator, typically MSCA fellowships and targeted studies), while joining large pan-European consortia as a third party or participant contributing specialist collections expertise. With 364 unique partners across 50 countries, it functions as a broad network hub rather than a loyal-partner institution. This makes it easy to integrate into new consortia — it brings both infrastructure access and deep taxonomic expertise without requiring a lead role.

MNHN has collaborated with 364 unique partners across 50 countries, making it one of the most broadly connected natural history institutions in Europe. Its network spans from Western European museum and university partners to research teams in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, reflecting its anthropological and biogeographic research interests.

What sets them apart

MNHN combines three capabilities rarely found together: world-class natural science collections (biological, geological, anthropological), active research in evolutionary genomics and taxonomy, and deep involvement in building pan-European digital collection infrastructure. Unlike purely research-focused universities, it can provide physical access to specimens and archives alongside computational and analytical expertise. For consortium builders, it offers a single entry point to France's largest natural history research community and its globally significant specimen holdings.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HYPERDIVERSE
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.95M, ERC-level), investigating drivers of species hyperdiversification using population genomics and comparative transcriptomics — represents MNHN's research ambition at its peak.
• SYNTHESYS PLUS
  EUR 701K contribution to the flagship European infrastructure project for integrating access to natural science collections across 21 countries — positions MNHN at the center of Europe's biodiversity data ecosystem.
• ENDpoiNTs
  Unusual cross-disciplinary contribution: a natural history museum providing expertise on endocrine disruptor neurotoxicity testing, demonstrating MNHN's breadth beyond traditional museum science.