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Object loans

The Science Museum Group cares for an astonishingly diverse and internationally significant collection of 7.3 million items from science, technology, engineering, medicine, transport and media.

As we work to improve the way we care for and share our collection of hundreds of thousands of objects with the world, catalogue records are being improved and photographs are being published online for the first time, creating one of the most extensive online scientific collections in the world.   

Due to this extensive programme of work across our six sites, we are currently unable to accept new loan requests apart from in some exceptional cases.  

This will not affect loans already agreed. Thousands of items on existing long-term loans and touring exhibitions are unaffected, enabling many people to access our unique collection beyond our museums.  

This temporary pause in new loan activity will last until April 2026. Requests for loans will open again in October 2025, when more detail will be provided on this webpage.  

If you have questions about a loan request, please contact  Group.Registration@sciencemuseum.ac.uk.