Naturalis Biodiversity Center

What Naturalis Biodiversity Center does

Naturalis Biodiversity Center is the Dutch national research institute for biodiversity, legally constituted as Stichting Naturalis Biodiversity Center and operating since 1820 in Leiden. It discharges three statutory functions — national museum, academic research institute, and heritage institution — under a single organizational umbrella, with 251–500 employees including 129 researchers organized into seven research groups (approximately 80 PhDs and postdocs). The institute curates a national collection of 43,021,976 specimens that anchors both its public programming and its scientific output, and runs ten museum galleries including the Dinosaur Age gallery featuring the T. rex Trix, the Early Humans gallery, and the Rexperience immersive exhibit.

The research and product portfolio is increasingly built around digital and AI-enabled biodiversity infrastructure. Core scientific platforms include ARISE, which combines AI, image-based recognition, and DNA techniques to identify and map all multicellular Dutch species; eDentity, a national environmental DNA (eDNA) infrastructure for detecting species in water samples; ABM (Automated Biodiversity Monitoring), a 2026–2030 program deploying autonomous field stations with sensors and a central AI system in partnership with TNO, RIVM, and Rijkswaterstaat; and Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE), a Horizon Europe consortium of 33 partners across 20 countries coordinated by Naturalis. Research activities span marine and terrestrial ecosystems globally (Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Madagascar, Caribbean, Australia, North Sea offshore wind, among others), supported by laboratory capabilities including micro-CT scanning and DNA analysis.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid non-profit model: structural Dutch government funding as a state museum and research institute, competitive grants (FTO-subsidie, NWO/NWA, Horizon Europe), museum admissions and retail, donations from cultural lottery and foundation partners (VriendenLoterij, Mondriaan Fund, K.F. Hein Fonds, Cultuurfonds), venue rental for events, and revenue from flagship exhibitions such as the Triceratops herd. Distribution combines direct visitor channels (Leiden museum, museum app, virtual museum), educational programs reaching over 51,000 students in 2025, digital platforms (ARISE, PteridoPortal, collection database) for global research users, and B2B/agency deployments of ABM infrastructure. Customer segments span the general public, academic researchers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and international research institutions.

Name

Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Legal name

Stichting Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Website

https://naturalis.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Naturalis Biodiversity Center is the Dutch national research institute for biodiversity, combining a natural history museum, academic research center, and heritage institution in Leiden. It curates 43M+ specimens, employs 129 researchers, and operates AI-enabled platforms including ARISE, eDentity, and Automated Biodiversity Monitoring.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research

NAICS

Museums (712110), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Biodiversity research
• Taxonomic collections
• Species identification
• Citizen science education

Headquarters

HQ city

Leiden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Naturalis is a national research institute receiving government funding from the Dutch government for its functions as a state museum, academic research institute, and heritage institution
2. Museum Admissions: Revenue from ticket sales for museum visits including tickets with start times for the museum and Rexperience, accepting Museumkaart and VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART
3. Museum Shop: Retail revenue from museum merchandise in the museumshop
4. Research Grants: Project funding including 19.4 million euro ABM subsidy, North Sea POWER project (5+ million euros), and various Horizon Europe funding (BGE project)
5. Venue Rental: Revenue from hosting congresses and events in the museum facilities
6. Donations: Support through donations for biodiversity preservation; funding from foundations including VriendenLoterij, Mondriaan Fund, K.F. Hein Fonds, Cultuurfonds

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Naturalis Biodiversity Center is the Dutch national research and museum institute for biodiversity, combining a publicly accessible natural history museum with a scientific research institute housing over 43 million specimens and 130+ researchers. It delivers museum exhibitions, educational programs, and visitor services to the general public, while providing taxonomic research, specimen access, species-identification technologies (ARISE, eDentity, ABM), and biodiversity-data services to scientific and governmental clients. The organization operates as an independent foundation on behalf of the Dutch state, generating revenue through government funding, ticketing, memberships, retail, and research grants.

Product overview

Naturalis Biodiversity Center operates as the Dutch national research institute for biodiversity, combining three functions: a national museum, an academic research institute, and a heritage institution. Its visitor-facing product is the Naturalis Museum Experience — a natural history museum in Leiden with galleries including the Dinosaur Age (featuring T. rex Trix), Early Humans, the Rexperience immersive dinosaur exhibit, and rotating exhibitions such as the Triceratops herd. The research product portfolio centers on digital biodiversity infrastructure: ARISE provides AI-powered species recognition for all Dutch species; eDentity enables environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for species detection in water samples; ABM (Automated Biodiversity Monitoring, 2026–2030) deploys autonomous field stations with sensors and AI for nationwide automated monitoring; and BGE (Biodiversity Genomics Europe) coordinates European genomic biodiversity science. Naturalis also offers digital access to its collection of over 43 million specimens, the Topstukken online showcase of iconic specimens, the museum app, citizen science programs such as Expeditie Stadsnatuur, and educational programs across all schooling levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Naturalis Museum Experience Ticketed access to the on-site natural history museum in Leiden, including permanent exhibitions such as the dinosaur hall and 'Ice Age' display, plus temporary exhibitions and family-friendly programming. Targeted at general public visitors and families.
• LiveScience Lab An open laboratory inside the museum where visitors can observe Naturalis researchers at work, turning the museum visit into a participatory research experience for families and school groups.
• Educational Lessons and Programs School lessons and educational programs offered on-site across primary, secondary, vocational, and teacher's master's / post-academic levels. Targeted at schools, students, and trainee teachers.
• Children's Birthday Parties Themed birthday party packages organized in the museum for children and families seeking a science-themed celebration.
• Naturalis Research Collection Access Access to Naturalis's research collection of 43+ million preserved specimens, made available to visiting researchers, scientific collaborators, and institutional partners for taxonomic and biodiversity research.
• ARISE Specimen Identification Platform Proprietary ARISE platform for automated species identification, leveraging Naturalis's reference collection to support biodiversity research and applied identification tasks.
• eDentity DNA Barcoding Service eDentity is Naturalis's DNA barcode-based identification service, supporting species-level identification using genetic reference data derived from the institute's collection.
• ABM - Atlas of Biodiversity Maps Atlas of Biodiversity Maps (ABM) is Naturalis's species distribution reference product, providing authoritative geographic biodiversity data for researchers, government, NGOs, and policy users.
• European Journal of Taxonomy Scientific journal co-published by Naturalis and partner institutions, providing open-access taxonomic and systematic research to the global scientific community.
• Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) European biodiversity genomics consortium led by Naturalis in partnership with other institutes, delivering pan-European DNA-based biodiversity research and infrastructure.
• Naturalis Venue Hire Rental of the museum's lecture halls, meeting rooms, and other spaces for meetings, conferences, weddings, receptions, and film shoots. Targeted at event organizers and private clients.
• Naturalis Museum Shop On-site retail shop selling gifts, books, apparel, and natural-history themed products to museum visitors.
• Naturalis Supporters / Friends of Naturalis Membership Membership program allowing individuals to support the institute through recurring contributions and receive associated benefits.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Research and Consulting Services Project-based biodiversity research and consulting delivered to government bodies (e.g., Rijkswaterstaat, RIVM), universities, NGOs (e.g., ARK Natuurontwikkeling), and international collaborators.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Reports and Publications Authoritative reports and publications on Dutch and global biodiversity, including the Status Report on Dutch Biodiversity, targeted at policymakers, NGOs, and the public.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Monitoring Program (Meetnet Programma's) Biodiversity monitoring programs ('Meetnet programma's') providing standardized observation and survey services for nature areas in the Netherlands.
• Citizen Science Programs Citizen science programs inviting the public to contribute biodiversity observations that feed into Naturalis's research and monitoring activities.
• Naturalis Laboratories (Biodiversity Labs) In-house biodiversity laboratories providing specimen preparation, DNA analysis, and other lab-based services used by Naturalis researchers and collaborators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 541,077 museum visitors in 2025, breaking records
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Technical development partner for ABM (Automated Biodiversity Monitoring) initiative. TNO responsible for technical development of field stations with sensors and sensor networks, contributing to technology valorization and strengthening the project's impact.
• RIVMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025ABM initiative partner responsible for deploying automated biodiversity monitoring stations within their measurement networks for combined biodiversity and environmental quality monitoring.
• RijkswaterstaatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025ABM initiative partner deploying stations in their networks. Rijkswaterstaat manages roads and significant nature areas including 18,000 hectares of roadsides, providing valuable data for nature development and protection aligned with road safety.
• Children's Museum of IndianapolisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Jurassic partnership excavating dinosaurs and Jurassic fossils from the Morrison Formation in Wyoming, nicknamed the 'Jurassic Mile'. One of the most significant dinosaur excavations from this period.
• Natural History Museum LondonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Jurassic partnership collaborating on the excavation and reconstruction of the Jurassic Mile site in Wyoming, USA.
• Florida Museum of Natural HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for PteridoPortal, an online database for ferns and lycophytes digitizing hundreds of thousands of specimens with NSF funding. Naturalis contributes specimen data as international partner.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational institution contributing specimen data to PteridoPortal, the online fern and lycophyte database coordinated by Florida Museum of Natural History.
• Wageningen University and ResearchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for North Sea POWER project investigating ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, funded by Dutch Research Agenda with 5+ million euros over six years.
• Westerdijk InstituutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ARISE project building infrastructure to recognize and map all Dutch species, together with universities of Amsterdam and Twente.
• University of AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in ARISE project for Dutch species recognition and mapping infrastructure.
• University of TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in ARISE project for Dutch species recognition and mapping infrastructure.
• Municipality of LeidencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on P+R Naturalis, a new sustainable parking garage with nearly 600 car parking spaces opened February 2026 behind the museum building.
• Inheems Kenniscentrum InternationaalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Naturalis Nights: Suriname event, working together with OSCAM, Papa Aswa, Patta Academy, and The Black Archives for a special evening.
• Colonial Collections CommitteecoreOthersIndependent committee that advised on restitution of the Dubois collection to Indonesia. Led by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, provided new legal insights supporting the restitution decision.
• 33 partner organizations in 20 countriesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturalis coordinates the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) consortium, bringing together BIOSCAN Europe and European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) networks across 33 partner institutions in 20 countries, funded by Horizon Europe.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Natural History Museum London: Combines a major public natural history museum with one of the world's largest scientific collections and active biodiversity research programs. Direct comparable to Naturalis on the museum + research + collections triad, and a confirmed collaborator on the Mission Jurassic excavation.
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: German national natural history museum integrating large-scale research collections (>30 million specimens), active biodiversity and evolutionary research, and public exhibitions. Closely mirrors Naturalis's combined museum/research-institute/heritage-institution model.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN): France's national natural history museum and research institution, combining galleries, large scientific collections, and university-affiliated research labs. Directly comparable to Naturalis in scope of research, collections, and public-facing museum operations.
• Florida Museum of Natural History: University-affiliated natural history museum with large research collections and digitization programs (e.g., PteridoPortal). Direct peer for Naturalis on collection digitization, biodiversity informatics, and citizen science, and an active data-sharing partner.
• Meise Botanic Garden: Belgian national botanic garden and research center housing a large herbarium and living plant collection, combining research, conservation, and public visitation. Closely comparable in mission and combined research/public-engagement structure.
• Naturhistoriska riksmuseet (Swedish Museum of Natural History): Sweden's national natural history museum and research institute, with extensive collections and active biodiversity research. Comparable to Naturalis as a Nordic counterpart with the same combined state-museum/academic-research-institution role.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Austrian national natural history museum with major scientific collections and exhibition halls, combining research, curation, and public programming. Comparable to Naturalis as another Central European national museum/research institution.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: U.S. national natural history museum with the world's largest natural history collection and significantly broader budget, staff, and global brand. A broader incumbent whose portfolio encompasses all of Naturalis's activities at greater scale; active PteridoPortal partner.
• American Museum of Natural History: One of the world's largest natural history museums with extensive research programs in genomics, systematics, and biodiversity. Broader incumbent comparable in collections, exhibitions, and research scope, but with substantially larger endowment and audience.

Others

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): Intergovernmental network providing open access to biodiversity data worldwide. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that Naturalis supplies collection data to and aligns its PteridoPortal and ARISE data infrastructure with for global data sharing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NaturalisLeiden
• Facebookfacebook.com/museumnaturalis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturalisbiodiversitycenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/naturalismuseum
• TikToktiktok.com/@museumnaturalis
• Xx.com/museumnaturalis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Naturalis Biodiversity Center