The Science Museum in London has ended its sponsorship deal with British oil and gas company BP after years of criticism from environmental campaigners.
The Science Museum Group academy, which was established in 2018 to provide training and resources, announced on Friday (28 August) that its partnership with BP will end on 31 August "at the end of its agreed term".
In a statement, the Science Museum Group said the academy has delivered training to more than 11,000 museum, education and science professionals, with an estimated 1.5 million students benefiting.
The Science Museum's decades-long partnership with BP has faced criticism from environmental groupsScience Museum Group
"The Science Museum Group academy’s partnership with BP has drawn to a close at the end of the current contract term," said Ian Blatchford, director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group.
Blatchford said BP's "generous contributions helped us to inspire more than 11,000 education, museum and science professionals through research-informed science engagement training, supporting vital work to spark curiosity and bring science to life for more than a million young people across the country".
The Science Museum's decades-long partnership with BP has faced criticism from environmental groups, including Culture Unstained.
A spokesperson for Culture Unstained, which campaigns against fossil fuel sponsorship of culture, said in a statement: "Now, with the world facing droughts and wildfires and BP recklessly ramping up its production of dirty fossil fuels, the museum has finally come to its senses and followed the rest of the culture sector in cutting ties to BP."
Environmental campaigns
They added: "This comes after years of campaigning and growing pressure from educators and schools pledging to boycott trips to the museum while it defended its polluting partnerships."
The Science Museum is one of the last cultural institutions in the UK to cut ties with BP, joining National Galleries Scotland, Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
In 2024, the Science Museum ended its sponsorship deal with oil giant Equinor, but has been criticised for its collaboration with the renewables division of Adani – an Indian conglomerate with major holdings in coal.
