About the Fiocruz Museum of Life
The Fiocruz Museum of Life is the science museum of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the most renowned public health research institution in Latin America (linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health). The Museum is part of Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, a Fiocruz institute focused on popular science, the preservation and appreciation of cultural heritage, history and memory in the fields of science and health. All activities are free of charge.
Located in Manguinhos, a neighborhood with one of the lowest Human Development Indexes (HDI) in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Fiocruz Museum of Life was opened on the Fiocruz main campus in 1999. It is an interactive space for findings, reflection and debates on different scientific perspectives, its main themes being life and its diversity, health promotion and humanity’s relationship with the environment.
Every year, the Fiocruz Museum of Life welcomes approximately 170,000 visitors to its main facilities and to off-site events, including school groups, civil society organizations, researchers and families. As a result of ongoing immersion efforts and debates on accessibility, the Museum has also welcomed an increasing number of people with disabilities.
The Fiocruz Museum of Life, an interactive space for science and health, fostering knowledge and reflections on life, health and the environment. Access is free of charge for everyone!
An ideal space for making discoveries
Sparking people’s interest and promoting public debates on science, technology, and health, as well as their historical processes, aiming to promote citizen rights and improving society’s quality of life are the most important missions of the Fiocruz Museum of Life.
A visit to the Fiocruz Museum of Life is a combination of outdoor activities, theatrical performances and exhibitions. Unlike other institutions, the Fiocruz Museum of Life consists of a complex of historic buildings and exhibition areas spread across the Fiocruz Manguinhos campus. It also stands out from other institutions as it is a large green area in the middle of one of the most important and busiest avenues in the city, Avenida Brasil, which is intersected by several favelas.
The Fiocruz Museum of Life seeks to maintain an ongoing conversation with the people living in these territories. A significant portion of our visitors live in areas where science museums, cultural centers and/or leisure facilities are either scarce or completely absent. For many of our visitors, the Fiocruz Museum of Life represents their first experience with a museum environment and plays.
In addition campus visits, the Fiocruz Museum of Life also promotes off-campus initiatives, bringing educational activities and the Mobile Science truck to schools and public areas, not only in Rio de Janeiro but also in other cities throughout Brazil’s Southeastern Region. The Museum also carries out training and research activities on popular science and museum education.
Values, plans and awards
All of the Museum’s activities are guided by values such as the democratization of knowledge; education as an emancipating process; science and innovation as a basis for promoting health and social equity; ethnic, gender, and sociocultural diversity; the appreciation of memory and identity; and socio-environmental commitment. These values guide the upcoming expansion of the Museum’s activities, due to the Manguinhos Historic Architectural Complex Redevelopment Plan (NAHM), underway since 2014 and currently in its implementation stage.
This plan proposes new uses and occupations for the historic Fiocruz site, which dates back to the early 20th century, to the work of renowned Brazilian scientists Oswaldo Cruz and Carlos Chagas, and to important chapters in the history of health in Brazil — a history that has also been preserved and disseminated through the collection held by the Fiocruz Museum of Life. The NAHM Plan adds to the more than two-decade history of the Fiocruz Museum of Life in terms of activities aimed to popularize science in combination with art, culture, and leisure.
In recognition of this work, the Fiocruz Museum of Life, its professionals and products have been graced with various national and international awards. Namely:
- 2022: Medal of Museological Merit from the Federal Board of Museology (Cofem)
- 2019: RedPOP (Red de Popularización de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en América Latina y el Caribe), Centers and Programs categories.
- 2025: Ibermuseus
Moreover, in 2015, Fiocruz received the José Reis Popular Science Award, a result of its efforts of initiatives, such as the Fiocruz Museum of Life, one of the major institutional players in the popular science field.
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Phone Number: (+5521) 3865-2128
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