The world's biggest environmental challenges demand long‑term thinking. At Reading, our museums and special collections are helping researchers unlock the insights needed to address them. Through innovative research, digitisation, and partnerships with the Natural History Museum and British Museum, we are using deep history to shape the future of our planet.
Watch the film to find out more.
collections housed and stewarded at Reading
collections designated of outstanding importance by Arts Council England
objects and specimens at our Thames Valley Science Park by 2031
From London to Reading, the Natural History Museum is building a pioneering research centre at the University‑owned Thames Valley Science Park (TVSP), housing 28 million specimens and powering scientific discovery through advanced digital and genomic technologies.
The Cole Museum of Zoology offers a unique snapshot of animal diversity through time. Our ongoing taxonomy and classification work produces high calibre digital data, giving scientists worldwide the ability to investigate species distributions and habitat associations with greater precision.
From ancient fossils and Greek pottery to the work of Samuel Beckett and the history of rural England, Reading’s rich concentration of internationally significant museums and collections offers a globally distinctive, interdisciplinary research platform.
Our museums and collections are free and open for everyone to explore.
ECR Spotlight: Dr Akash Koppa
More than 4,600 climate records spanning over a millennium will be used to investigate how humid regions become drylands, as part of Dr Koppa's new project.
In the community: Romany heritage
Dr Neil Cocks is engaging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities with one of the UK's largest Romany archives, held at the Museum of English Rural Life.
Our partners: The British Museum
Over 1.3 million objects in the British Museum’s Archaeological Research Collection (BM_ARC) provide research opportunities for our students, academics and the local community.