The Science Museum Group confirmed on 28 August 2026 that its partnership with BP for the Science Museum Group Academy had drawn to a close at the end of the current contract term. A spokesperson for the group told The Art Newspaper that reports suggesting the academy agreement was a 10-year deal expected to run until 2028 were inaccurate. The partnership comprised BP sponsorship of the academy, which delivers training and resources for museum practitioners and STEM professionals. The Science Museum Group oversees the Science Museum in London and five other organisations across England.
BP’s relationship with the Science Museum Group dated back almost a quarter of a century, according to reporting in The Art Newspaper. The oil and gas company had previously sponsored the museum’s former Energy Gallery and the 2015 exhibition Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age. The Museums Association reported that the academy partnership began in 2018. Museums and Heritage Advisor noted that the eight-year sponsorship of the academy reached its agreed term on 31 August.
Science Museum Group director and chief executive Ian Blatchford said in a statement that BP’s contributions helped inspire more than 11,000 education, museum and science professionals through research-informed science engagement training. Blatchford added that the work supported efforts to spark curiosity and bring science to life for more than a million young people across the country. The FT reported that the Science Museum welcomed 2.64 million visitors last year.
The decision followed years of criticism from environmental groups over the museum’s relationships with fossil fuel companies, according to the Museums Association. Teachers and the National Education Union had pledged to boycott school trips to the museum while it maintained the partnerships. Culture Unstained, which campaigns against fossil fuel sponsorship of culture, described the move as one the museum had made after sustained pressure.
A Culture Unstained spokesperson said the museum had finally come to its senses 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 spokesperson noted that the decision arrived amid this summer’s extreme drought and raging wildfires. Plant Based News reported that the museum had previously cut ties with Shell and Equinor.
The Science Museum continues to maintain a long-term relationship with Adani Green Energy, which has sponsored the Adani Green Energy Gallery since it opened in 2024, according to multiple outlets including the Museums Association. A Culture Unstained spokesperson called the end of the BP sponsorship a partial victory while urging the museum to also end its deal with Adani. The British Museum remains the only major government-funded cultural institution still accepting money from BP, the Arts Professional reported.
