The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is one of the ten federal scientific institutions that depend on the Federal Science Policy. It develops important scientific research activities, it carries out public service missions and it is open to all through the Museum of Natural Sciences.

At IRSNB, one person out of three is a scientist. The scientific staff mainly includes biologists, paleontologists and geologists, but also oceanographers, anthropologists, archaeologists as well as geographers, physicists, bioengineers or mathematicians, which makes it possible to conduct multidisciplinary research in the following areas:

• Biodiversity and the mechanisms of evolution of living beings
• Terrestrial, freshwater, or marine ecosystems
• The history of life, climate, human settlements
• The geology of Belgium and the modeling of the North Sea

The IRSNB participates and coordinates numerous European research projects that contribute via large consortia, in particular to the creation of platforms allowing the sharing and access of data and services in the fields of geology, marine research or taxonomy, for example. Its mission to raise awareness about nature through its Museum and its services aimed at the general public also allows it to develop numerous projects in Science and Society in collaboration with its foreign partners, museums and science centers.