A major international digitisation project launching this summer will create around 700,000 digital records from Scotland’s natural science collections and significantly expand access to vital biodiversity research data.
National Museums Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) will jointly lead the Scottish network as part of the Distributed System of Scientific Collections UK (DiSSCo UK) programme, following the award of more than £1.8 million in funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Between 2026 and 2028, RBGE and National Museums Scotland will establish a national hub for the digitisation of natural science collections throughout Scotland. Over the next two years, the project will digitise more than 250,000 insect specimens held by National Museums Scotland and 388,000 herbarium specimens from RBGE, making them accessible to researchers, policymakers and the public through digital platforms.
The initiative aims to strengthen Scotland’s contribution to a UK-wide effort to transform access to scientific collections, supporting research into biodiversity, climate change and environmental conservation.
Four additional organisations have already joined the programme: Glasgow Life, The Hunterian, Shetland Museum & Archive and The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. Further institutions are expected to become involved as the network expands, creating one of the most significant collaborative digitisation efforts ever undertaken across Scotland’s natural science collections.