What Universcience does

Universcience is a French public institution (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial — EPIC) established by government decree on 3 December 2009 and operational from January 2010, grouping the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and the Palais de la découverte under one entity. It operates under the joint supervision of the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research and the Ministry for Culture, with a mandate to promote scientific and technical culture and make science accessible to the general public. The institution is headquartered in Paris at the Palais de la découverte (avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt) with operational offices at 30 avenue Corentin-Cariou (Cité des sciences et de l'industrie) and reports a workforce of 1,001-5,000 employees. Reported scale includes 3.26 million combined visitors (2014 baseline), 568,000 schoolchildren hosted annually, 316,000 planetarium visitors, and 11 million annual website visits across universcience.fr, cite-sciences.fr, and palais-decouverte.fr.

The core product offering consists of two physical science museums with permanent and temporary exhibitions, a planetarium, Fab Lab and Living Lab spaces, the Cité des enfants children's exhibits, and the leblob.fr digital science-media platform. The professional-services layer includes Exhibition Services (exporting a catalogue of 15+ travelling exhibitions and museological consulting to 20+ international museums, with formats from 250-600 sq m on multi-year contracts), L'École de la Médiation (training program launched 2016) and its research network ReMédiS, Label Cité des métiers (career-guidance licensing), Fulldome/Planetarium engineering services built on 30 years of cultural astronomy expertise, and the accessibility/inclusion programs Mission Vivre ensemble (50+ Île-de-France cultural institutions) and RECA (40+ public cultural establishments, including Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou).

Revenue is generated across five streams: recurring government subsidies from the two supervising ministries, ticket sales and visitor revenue at both museum sites, space rental for corporate events, professional services from Exhibition Services sold internationally, and donations/partnerships routed through Universcience Partenaires (corporate donors including Airbus, Air Liquide, EDF, CEA, Fondation BNP Paribas, Fondation L'Oréal, and Radiall). B2B go-to-market operates through dedicated trade-show presence (ECSITE, Museum Connections, AMCSTI) and the Touring Exhibition Organisation (Teo) channel partnership. Customer segments span general public/families, school groups and students, museums and cultural institutions worldwide, science-mediation professionals, and corporate partners/foundations.

Name

Universcience

Legal name

Établissement public du Palais de la découverte et de la Cité des sciences et de l'industrie (EPPDCSI)

Website

https://universcience.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Universcience is a French public EPIC grouping the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and the Palais de la découverte, promoting scientific culture through two Paris museums, an international travelling-exhibition export business, professional training, and corporate-donor partnerships under joint ministry supervision.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Public institution under joint responsibility of Ministry for Higher Education and Research and Ministry for Culture, funded by government subsidies.
2. Ticket Sales and Visitor Revenue: Revenue from museum admissions, planetarium shows, and other visitor services at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and Palais de la découverte.
3. Space Rental: Revenue from renting event spaces within the museums to private clients for corporate events and functions.
4. Exhibition Services: Professional services including travelling exhibitions, museum design consulting, and cultural engineering sold to museums and cultural institutions worldwide.
5. Donations and Partnerships: Through Universcience Partenaires, companies and foundations support projects via donations and partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Universcience is a French public institution that brings together the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and the Palais de la découverte in Paris to disseminate scientific, technical, and industrial culture through permanent and temporary exhibitions, planetarium shows, children's spaces, Fab Lab and Living Lab facilities, and digital content platforms. It also operates a professional Exhibition Services division that exports travelling exhibitions, museological consulting, and planetarium/fulldome services to museums and cultural institutions worldwide, alongside the L'École de la Médiation training school, the Label Cité des métiers career-guidance certification, and partnership development through Universcience Partenaires.

Product overview

Universcience is a French public institution grouping the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and the Palais de la découverte, dedicated to promoting scientific and technical culture. The organization operates a multi-layered offering: core museums (Cité des sciences et de l'industrie and Palais de la découverte) featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions, planetarium shows, Fab Labs, Living Labs, and the Science Library; professional services including Exhibition Services (exporting museological expertise internationally through travelling exhibitions and consulting), Label Cité des métiers (career guidance certification), and L'École de la Médiation (training for mediation professionals); digital media through le blob; and membership/partnership programs via Universcience Partenaires. The travelling exhibition portfolio includes over 15 themes covering diverse scientific topics from cats and dogs to artificial intelligence, dance, and gastronomy. The institution also operates accessibility programs including Mission Vivre ensemble and RECA (Réunion des établissements culturels pour l'accessibilité).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cité des sciences et de l'industrie Primary science museum in Paris offering exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and educational programs for all ages, including the Cité des enfants children's spaces, Fab Lab, Living Lab, Science Library, and planetarium. Target users are general public, families, and school groups in France and international visitors.
• Palais de la découverte Paris science museum presenting science through discovery, experimentation, and hands-on activities across disciplines including astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. Audience is general public, families, and school groups.
• Exhibition Services Professional services division exporting Universcience's museological expertise internationally, including design and creation of children's exhibitions, travelling exhibitions, planetarium/fulldome services, consulting, and training. Serves museums, science centers, and cultural institutions worldwide.
• Label Cité des métiers Label and support program for creating career guidance spaces (Cités des métiers) that provide advice and resources on careers and professional development. For municipalities and institutions building career-guidance infrastructure.
• L'École de la Médiation Training programs and professional resources for scientific and cultural mediation, including workshops, professional meetings, and methodological tools. For science and cultural mediation professionals.
• Fulldome Services (Planetarium) Planetarium consulting covering technical engineering, scientific mediation design, full-dome show production, and event rental; built on 30 years of cultural astronomy engineering expertise and a proprietary real-time 3D Astronomical Simulator (RSA). For planetariums and science centers worldwide.
• Consulting and Studies (Exhibition Services) Museological consulting including feasibility studies, creation and refurbishment of children's exhibitions, and museum design support. For museums and cultural institutions planning exhibition development.
• Planetarium Films (Fulldome) Immersive 360° astronomy shows for digital planetariums in the catalogue: Night lights, The Moon, The sky in the Middle Ages, Ready for liftoff, Interstellar postcards, Destination Black Hole, and The Chauvet Cave. Sold to planetariums worldwide.
• Cats and Dogs (travelling exhibition) Sensory immersion travelling exhibition exploring the morphology, intelligence, and behaviors of cats and dogs through ethology. For museums and science centers hosting family audiences.
• Gardening (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition exploring the science behind gardening across six themed gardens: vegetable, flower, community, healing, spontaneous, and adaptable. For museums and cultural venues.
• Cave journey, through the Chauvet discovery (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition dedicated to scientific research at Chauvet Cave, featuring archaeological methods and prehistoric art analysis. For museums, science centers, and cultural venues.
• Dance (travelling exhibition) Family-oriented travelling exhibition exploring dance through three core movements: Turn, Jump, and Come together. For museums and cultural venues.
• Border (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition exploring the geography of borders through cartography and spatial analysis of human societies. For museums and cultural venues.
• Artificial Intelligence (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition exploring AI technology, its applications, and impacts on society through five thematic sections. For museums and cultural venues.
• Microbiota (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition adapted from Giulia Enders' book exploring gut microbiota and digestive system science, hosted by venues in Israel, Germany, Finland, and Portugal.
• Special Effects (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition exploring cinema special effects through five stages: pre-production, creation, post-production, movie theater, and trailers, co-produced with CNC. Hosted by venues including Technisches Museum Vienna and Cap Sciences Bordeaux.
• What's new in the Middle Ages? (travelling exhibition) Travelling exhibition co-produced with INRAP exploring medieval archaeology, technical and social innovations; hosted by French venues including Château d'Angers, Le Pont du Gard.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,259,000+ annual visitors across both sites (2014)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Universcience PartenairescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUmbrella organization comprising corporate members and donors (Airbus, Air Liquide, EDF, CEA, etc.) supporting Universcience's mission to promote scientific culture through funding, expertise, and collaborative projects.
• INRAP (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'What's new in the Middle Ages?' exhibition with INRAP, combining archaeological research and science communication.
• CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Special Effects' exhibition with CNC, exploring cinema special effects creation.
• Le Centre National de la DansemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Dance' exhibition, providing choreographic expertise and cultural content.
• INRAe (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, la pêche et l'environnement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Gardening' exhibition, providing agricultural and environmental science expertise.
• Max Planck InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partnership for 'Crowdology' exhibition; Mehdi Moussaïd serves as scientific curator, providing research expertise on crowd behavior.
• Vallon Pont d'Arc / Grotte Chauvet 2majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Cave journey, through the Chauvet discovery' travelling exhibition with replica cave site.
• Quai des savoirs, ToulousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Artificial Intelligence' exhibition with Quai des savoirs, Toulouse.
• Next Einstein ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican science network that selected young scientific talents for the African Scientific Talents Residency program.
• Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (France)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for African Scientific Talents Residency, opening sessions and supporting international scientific exchange.
• Touring Exhibition Organisation (Teo)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for touring exhibition distribution and promotion; jointly operate Touring Pavilion at Museum Connections.
• Réseau RECA (Réunion des établissements culturels pour l'accessibilité)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 40+ French public cultural establishments (including Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou) working together on accessibility for disabled visitors since 2003, piloted by Universcience.
• Mission Vivre ensemblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 50+ cultural establishments in Île-de-France united to reach people unfamiliar with cultural institutions, coordinated by Universcience.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Science Museum Group: UK-based group operating the Science Museum in London and related venues, with a substantial travelling exhibitions and licensing business (e.g., on dinosaurs, space, medicine). Universcience's Exhibition Services division and B2B consulting model directly mirror Science Museum Group's commercial arm in scope and customer base.
• Museum of Science, Boston: Large US science museum with a significant traveling exhibitions and curriculum-licensed programs business. Closely comparable to Universcience in operating scale, school group volume, and the breadth of its B2B professional services offering.
• Copernicus Science Centre: Warsaw-based European science center with a comparable interactive exhibits model and educational programming. Similar in mission and audience focus to Universcience, particularly the Cité des enfants concept for young visitors.
• Deutsches Museum: One of the world's oldest and largest science and technology museums, based in Munich. Comparable to Universcience in mission (making science accessible to the public) and in operating two major venue formats, and similarly exposes museum and exhibition expertise to professional audiences.
• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based interactive science museum with a strong hands-on learning identity and a traveling exhibitions program. Directly comparable to Universcience's Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in visitor experience design and educational programming.
• NEMO Science Museum: Major science center in Amsterdam operated by an independent foundation with government backing. Comparable to Universcience in scale, public-institution funding model, and focus on interactive science communication for families and school groups.
• Questacon: Australian national science and technology center in Canberra, operating under federal government auspices with a traveling science shows/exhibitions program. Comparable to Universcience in public-institution structure, national science communication mandate, and B2B exhibition touring.

Regional players

• Ontario Science Centre: Canadian science museum and educational institution with a similar interactive exhibits philosophy and family/school audience focus. Comparable in operating model but serves North American audiences rather than competing directly with Universcience in Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: Vast US federally funded museum and research complex with significant science education, exhibition, and traveling exhibitions activity. Operates on a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Universcience, but overlaps meaningfully in the science museum and public engagement mission space.

Others

• Ecsite (European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology Exhibitions): European network of science centers and museums of which Universcience is an active member and conference participant (with planned 2026 booth). Relevant as the convening industry body for the sector Universcience serves, but not a competitor — it is the trade association in which Universcience operates as a leading member.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/universcience
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PDDCSIhorslesmurs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universcience
• Instagraminstagram.com/citedessciences

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Universcience