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  • Celebrating 125 years

Celebrating
125 years of
impact

Open day 2025
Join us on Friday 6 June as we open our doors to the public.
Come and discover what goes on behind the scenes of
the UK's National Metrology Institute.

Find out more about open day

Celebrate with us

IIn 2025, we are celebrating 125 years of impact and innovation.

Since our humble beginnings in 1900, with a team of 22 scientists and engineers focussed on standardising instruments, testing materials and determining physical constants at Bushy House, we have gone on a monumental journey.

Fast forward 125 years, our 1,000+ strong workforce has cemented NPL as a world-class centre of excellence, proudly responsible for maintaining the UK’s primary measurement standards and improving prosperity and quality of life the world over.

We take great pride in our heritage, the impact our world-class expertise is making on today's communities and the legacy we are creating for future generations.

Join in our 125th anniversary celebrations and stay up to date with the latest news and events by checking out our links below.

Tell us your story

Our community and alumni have been instrumental to our success over the past 125 years. We’d love to hear your experience from the distant, or recent past.

Tell your story

Join us for events throughout 2025 🗓️

Explore our events and sign up to our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out!

Explore Festival

We are hosting a bumper week of events in June with something for everyone, from school pupils to industry professionals and everyone in between.

Explore: Discovery day
Tuesday 3 June 

Join us for Discovery Day, when we will open our doors to schools for an exciting and interactive experience. Students will rotate through four engaging sessions, including a liquid nitrogen show and measurement activities. This is a unique opportunity to spark curiosity and inspire future STEMists!

There will be a morning session and (repeated) afternoon session. Primary schools will be at our Bushy House site and secondary schools on our main site.

Morning slot: SOLD OUT
Afternoon slot: Limited places remaining

Sign up

Can’t make it to our Discovery day?
We have lots of amazing outreach activities for you to take part in at school and at home!

Check out our outreach activities

 

Explore: Innovation day (invite only)
Wednesday 4 June 

The NPL Innovation Day celebrates our 125-year legacy of driving scientific progress and innovation. Our Innovation Showcase will bring together thought leaders and innovators from industry, investors and government to showcase how innovation, driven through science and technology, can transform UK industry and society, support economic growth and deliver lasting impact.   

Attendees will have the opportunity to:   

  • discover cutting-edge technologies and research from NPL and its partners   
  • engage in discussions about the future of science and innovation   
  • build new relationships and collaborations    
  • explore investment opportunities in high-impact innovation.

The day will feature panel discussions, pitches and live demonstrations, including the latest technological advancements from NPL and our partners.

Topics will delve into how cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs can translate into real-world industry solutions, driving economic growth and competitiveness, how to inspire the next generation and develop future talent, and insights on the future outlook from standards and regulations to emerging technologies, industry progress and everything in between. SMEs, that NPL has been working with across a variety of sectors, will showcase their brilliant work and what innovation in action looks like. 

 

Explore: NPL Open Day
Friday 6 June

Our flagship event is back for 2025, bigger and better than ever! Join us as we open our doors to you, the public, for one special day. Come and look around our cutting-edge labs, check out some amazing talks in our auditorium, and experience the magic of science throughout the day. A perfect family day out, ideal for seasoned science enthusiasts and budding boffins alike.

Tickets £3, all proceeds donated to our partner charity, British Heart Foundation.

Get your tickets

More information

How long is a piece of string? LIVE'

Fancy hearing some of our scientists chat through their expert knowledge to tackle big questions from time travel to history’s greatest scientific icons?

Come along to How long is a piece of string LIVE, our exciting talks programme exploring all kinds of topics throughout 2025.

Upcoming events:

Mythbusting with metrology
Friday 6 June - 12:00-16:00 (during Open Day)

Come along to hear some of our scientists bust myths about sea levels rising, sci-fi films and more!

To come to the talks in person, please book a ticket to Open Day – which also gives you the chance to look around our amazing labs.

To join online, subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about the live stream on the day.

Book in person tickets

YouTube livestream

History of science and scientists
Thursday 4 September - 18:30-21:00
NPL and online 

Stay tuned for more information

Sign up to find out more

SI units
Thursday 4 December - 18:30-21:00
NPL and online

Stay tuned for more information

Sign up to find out more

Past events:

6 March 2025 | Science and sports

Stay tuned to our YouTube channel to watch back on the science of rugby, running and rowing.

Watch back - coming soon

 

 

Bushy House garden party  
Saturday 13 September
11:00-16:00 

Step back in time and save the date for a celebration reminiscent of the garden parties of eras gone by. Pack a picnic and join us at this family friendly event suitable for all ages.

Discover the history of NPL by peeking behind the closed doors of Bushy House and it's laboratories, meet and interact with icons of the past, explore our iconic gardens and enjoy music from the NPL band. For a fully immersive experience, fancy dress reflecting the past 125 years is encouraged but not essential.

Register your place

UK Outreach Tour - It's all science to me

We are taking our exciting outreach talks, demonstrations and exhibitions on the road to explain the impact of metrology. 

2025 is a big year and we are celebrating NPL’s 125th anniversary, the 150th anniversary of the signing of the metre convention and the Year of Quantum!

Join us on the dates below and meet inspiring experts from NPL.

York Festival of Ideas at St Olave's Church, York 
14 June

Find out more

Royal Norfolk Show, Norfolk Showground, Norwich
25 - 26 June

Find out more

Orkney International Science Festival, Orkney
September

Find out more


 

Bradford Science Festival, Bradford
24 October - 2 November

Find out more

 

Famous faces

Many of the world’s most renowned scientists have worked at NPL, including Robert Watson-Watt, Donald Davies, and Alan Turing.

Explore more famous faces

Our history

NPL was established in 1900. We have been making world-leading discoveries ever since.

Learn more about our history

Delivering impact

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) provides world-leading measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life.

Learn more about how we deliver impact

Are you the future
of NPL?

Be part of something amazing.

Apply today