DiSSCo is very pleased to announce the 115th member of the DiSSCo consortium: the SNSB (Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns or the Bavarian Natural History Collections). This natural history research institution encompasses five state collections (zoology, botany, paleontology and geology, mineralogy, anthropology and paleoanatomy). It covers the botanical garden Munich-Nymphenburg and eight museums with public exhibitions (Munich, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Eichstätt and Nördlingen).
The SNSB was founded in 1827 by the Bavarian king Ludwig I, although some of the separate institutes already existed from late 17th century. Now, it consists of a public consortium of 5 scientific research institutions, 8 natural history museums and a botanical garden. The SNSB institutions are leading in scientific research on natural history in Bavaria. The research focuses mainly on the past and present bio- and geodiversity supported by the scientific collections (more than 35,000,000 specimens). The museums present public exhibitions on biological and geological topics to play an instrumental role in public and academic education
The SNSB are subordinate (intermediate authority) of the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts. They employ more than 250 people, of which more than 30 permanent and 30 third-party funded scientists.