Senckenberg

Name

Senckenberg

Legal name

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN)

Website

https://senckenberg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biodiversity Research Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Biodiversity research
• Natural history museums
• Earth system science
• Science policy advisory
• Geobiodiversity research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Leibniz Association): As a member of the Leibniz Association, Senckenberg receives institutional funding from German federal and state governments for core research operations.
2. Museum Admissions and Tickets: Revenue from visitor admissions to three natural history museums in Frankfurt, Dresden, and Görlitz. Special exhibitions and events generate additional ticket sales.
3. Research Grants and Project Funding: Competitive research funding from DFG (German Research Foundation), European Research Council (ERC), EU Horizon programs, and other international funding bodies supporting specific research projects.
4. Sponsorship and Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors support Senckenberg through research sponsorships, event sponsorships, room sponsorships, exhibit sponsorships, and educational sponsorships. Companies benefit from association with the institution and visibility at museums.
5. Education and Training Programs: Revenue from the Senckenberg School (technical assistant training), apprenticeships in administration, and master's programs offered in cooperation with TU Dresden/IHI Zittau.
6. Museum Patronage and Exhibit Adoption: Patronage programs where individuals and companies adopt exhibits starting at €50 per year, supporting exhibit preservation and museum operations.
7. Membership Fees: Senckenberg Society membership fees, with 15% discount offered to museum patrons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Senckenberg conducts integrative biodiversity and Earth system research across eight research institutes and five research stations in Germany, maintaining scientific collections of over 45 million specimens and operating three natural history museums in Frankfurt, Dresden, and Görlitz. It provides science-policy advisory services to intergovernmental bodies including IPCC and IPBES, runs educational programs including master's degrees in cooperation with TU Dresden and the Senckenberg School for technical assistants, and engages the public through exhibitions, citizen science platforms, and a media hub.

Product overview

Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) is a research institution comprising eight research institutes, five research stations, and three natural history museums (Frankfurt, Dresden, Görlitz). The institution operates a portfolio of research infrastructure including scientific collections (over 45 million specimens), educational programs (Senckenberg School, Master's programs in Biodiversity and Collection Management and Ecosystem Services), public engagement initiatives (Citizen Science, Synthesis & Solutions Labs, Museum Exhibit Adoption Program), media content (Weird Species Podcast), and policy support services (International Science-Policy Unit supporting IPBES and IPCC). The museums offer exhibitions, guided tours, and educational programs, while research spans biodiversity, climate, evolution, and Earth system dynamics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Naturmuseum Frankfurt (Natural History Museum Frankfurt) One of Senckenberg's three natural history museums, featuring permanent and special exhibitions on dinosaurs, mammals, the brain, coral reefs, deep sea ecosystems, and Messel fossils, along with scientific guided tours, special exhibitions such as 'Ganz schön warm hier! Leben und Sterben in Messel' from December 2025, and public programs for visitors of all ages.
• Naturmuseum Dresden (Natural History Museum Dresden) One of Senckenberg's three natural history museums, offering exhibitions on natural history and biodiversity. Current featured exhibition includes 'iNuversumm – Raum und Zeit für Insekten' starting 1 November 2025, covering the world of insects from anatomy through development.
• Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (Görlitz Museum of Natural History) One of Senckenberg's three natural history museums located in Görlitz, featuring natural history collections, exhibitions on German mineral resources ('Deutschlands Bodenschätze' from 3 October 2025), and a vivarium with show feedings.
• Senckenberg School A unique two-year training program in Germany that teaches technical skills for natural history museums and research institutes, covering biology, geology, paleontology, zoology, botany, and scientific collection management for technical assistants. Training is free of charge, with minor costs for field trips (~€300), textbooks and materials (~€200), and examination fee (€160); BAföG educational assistance available.
• Master's Program: Biodiversity and Collection Management An international, English-language master's program offered jointly with TU Dresden/IHI Zittau, combining biodiversity and ecosystem knowledge with collection management expertise for students pursuing careers in natural history and museum science.
• Master's Program: Ecosystem Services An interdisciplinary master's program dealing with biodiversity, ecosystem services, economics, and society, examining ecological economics and the social valuation of biodiversity, offered in cooperation with TU Dresden/IHI Zittau.
• Museum Exhibit Adoption Program (Museumspatenschaften) Patronage program allowing individuals or organizations to adopt and sponsor museum exhibits, starting at €50 per year. Benefits include a certificate, name plaque in the museum, annual Patron's Day invitation with free admission, and a 15% discount on Senckenberg Society membership.
• International Science-Policy Unit Unit operating at the interface between science and policy, hosting the IPBES Data and Knowledge Technical Support Unit and the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data). Provides data infrastructure, knowledge management, and assessment process support for international environmental decision-making.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sixth-largest natural history collection globally with 45+ million objects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of the Philippines-Marine Science InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Collaboration in the International Mollusk of the Year 2026 contest organized by Senckenberg, where UP-MSI leads a national campaign for the antingaw shipworm species from Bohol, Philippines to win the competition.
• IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg hosts the Data and Knowledge Technical Support Unit of IPBES, providing dedicated support to the platform's data infrastructure, knowledge management, and assessment processes for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg hosts the Chair of the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments (TG-Data), contributing leadership to the panel's work on data transparency, traceability, and accessibility across assessment cycles.
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive collaboration with CBD on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, contributing scientific expertise to international policy processes.
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UNCCD contributing to combating desertification and land degradation through scientific research and policy support.
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting CMS work on conservation of migratory species through scientific assessment and research.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship with IUCN contributing to global biodiversity conservation efforts through scientific expertise and research contributions.
• Leibniz AssociationcoreOthersMember of the Leibniz Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft), a network of non-university research institutions. Receives institutional funding and participates in collaborative research across the association.
• Technical University of Dresden / IHI ZittaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg offers international, English-language master's programs 'Biodiversity and Collection Management' and 'Ecosystem Services' in cooperation with TU Dresden/IHI Zittau. Also supports the Leibniz Graduate School 'Impact Vectors' and the Graduate Academy at TU Dresden.
• Goethe University FrankfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg scientists offer more than half of the modules in the master's program 'Ecology and Evolution' at Goethe University Frankfurt. Doctoral candidates can participate in GRADE (Goethe Research Academy for Young Scientists).
• Carl von Ossietzky University OldenburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg on the Sea (SAM) teaches 'Marine Biodiversity' to master's students at the University of Oldenburg.
• University of TübingencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) operates in partnership with the University of Tübingen, along with joint supervision of paleontological and paleoanthropological collections.
• University of PotsdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhD students work towards their doctorate through the University of Potsdam while based at the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute in Müncheberg.
• International Seabed Authority (ISA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ISA on deep-sea research and environmental assessment of seabed activities.
• Frankfurt Conservation Center (FCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration within the Frankfurt Conservation Center consortium with other institutes including ISOE, PRIF, and UNU-EHS for interdisciplinary environmental research.
• Friedrich-Schiller-Universität JenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenckenberg Institut für Pflanzenvielfalt (SIP) with Herbarium Haussknecht operates in cooperation with the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena.
• Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (NLD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with NLD for archaeological excavations at Schöningen research station, where the earliest known wooden weapons were discovered.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Natural History Museum, London: The UK's leading natural history museum with ~80 million specimens and significant research output. Direct peer to Senckenberg: both operate natural history museums plus major research institutes, host globally comparable collections, and publish high-impact biodiversity science.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: US flagship natural history museum with 148+ million specimens and substantial federal backing. Directly comparable to Senckenberg in combining research institutes, public museums, and global science-policy engagement on biodiversity and earth science.
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: Germany's largest natural history museum and a Leibniz Association peer institution. Direct competitor for German federal science funding and the most comparable national peer, operating a research museum with 30+ million specimens and a similar science-policy role.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN): France's premier natural history research and museum institution with 68+ million specimens. Highly comparable: combines research, museums, university training, and global biodiversity science-policy influence akin to Senckenberg.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Center: Dutch merged research-museum institution with ~42 million specimens and an active digitization program. Direct peer in operating a national natural history museum alongside biodiversity research, comparable in scale and digital strategy to Senckenberg.
• American Museum of Natural History (AMNH): Major US research museum with 34+ million specimens and an extensive research division. Comparable to Senckenberg in scale of collections, public-museum operations, and graduate training programs through the Richard Gilder Graduate School.
• Field Museum: Chicago-based natural history museum and research institution with ~40 million specimens. Direct peer in combining public exhibitions, collection-based research, and global biodiversity fieldwork similar to Senckenberg's model.
• California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco-based research institution combining aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum with ~46 million specimens. Comparable to Senckenberg as an integrated research-and-public-museum institution with significant biodiversity collections.

Regional players

• Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet): Sweden's national natural history museum and research institution with ~10 million specimens. Comparable model combining museum and research, but smaller scale and primarily serves the Nordic market rather than competing directly in German-speaking countries.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Austria's largest natural history museum with ~30 million specimens. Operates a similar research-museum model to Senckenberg but is a regional player serving the Austrian market rather than competing directly in Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/senckenberg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SenckenbergWorld
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/senckenberg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Senckenberg