Science Museum gets big cash injection

The Science Museum has received an unprecedented eight-figure donation from the Serum Institute of India.  

Led by CEO Adar Poonawalla, the Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and part of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group.  

The gift, the largest international donation in the museum’s history, will support the transformation of the museum’s 20-year-old Making the Modern World gallery, which is set to re-open in 2028 as Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery.   

The gallery will be reimagined by Lawson Ward Studio, an architecture and design studio led by Hannah Lawson and Georgina Ward following an open competition.

The architects recently completed the National Gallery Roden Centre for Learning and are currently working with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Wallace Collection and the Natural History Museum.   

Ages of Invention will cover 250 years from the rise of the industrialised world to the emergence of new scientific fields.    

Key objects include the telescope used by astronomer Caroline Herschel (1795); the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotive, Puffing Billy (1813-1814); JJ Thomson's cathode ray tube used in the discovery of the electron (1897); Tucker Sno-cat used in the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctica Expedition (1955); and Tracy, one of the first transgenic sheep (1990-97).

Ian Blatchford, the director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, said: “Through our ambitious new Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery we will create the most significant display of objects from the history of science anywhere in the world.

"Visitors will be able to journey through 250 years of innovation and explore the scientific ideas shaping our lives today. Thanks to Mr Poonawalla’s generous support, the architectural expertise of Lawson Ward Studio and the remarkable stories of scientific achievements featured in the new gallery, we will ignite the curiosity of the future scientists and innovators needed to meet the challenges facing the world.”  

Adar Poonawalla said: “We feel honoured to support the Science Museum’s unwavering commitment in fostering curiosity and discovery. We have always been at the forefront of scientific discoveries and innovation. With this contribution, which will help in bringing in a transformation to this iconic space, we strive to inspire the future generations and celebrate the incredible journey of science that shapes our world.”  

Earlier this year, the Science Museum announced two further galleries – Space and Tomorrow: The Bennett Gallery – which will delve into space exploration and the scientific research that will shape our future.

Together with Ages of Invention, these three galleries will reimagine the ground floor of the Science Museum, providing almost 3500m² of free public gallery space. Space opened at the museum in September 2025, with Tomorrow: The Bennett Gallery set to open in early 2027.