.science Domain Registrationfrom £42.98/yr
Why Choose a .science Domain?
The .science extension launched in 2014 as part of ICANN's new gTLD programme and is operated by Identity Digital (formerly Donuts). It was created for the global research community — universities, laboratories, individual researchers, science communicators and citizen-science projects. Unlike academic-only namespaces such as .edu, .science is open to anyone, which makes it useful for independent scientists, open-data initiatives and outreach projects that want a clear thematic identifier without institutional gatekeeping.
Ideal for:
- Research labs, university departments and academic groups
- Independent researchers and PhD candidates publishing their work
- Science communicators, podcasters and YouTubers
- Open-data projects, preprint archives and citizen-science platforms
- STEM education sites and outreach charities
Things to know:
- Unrestricted — anyone, anywhere can register, with no requirement to prove academic affiliation.
- Operated by Identity Digital, one of the largest new-gTLD registries.
- A small number of names are reserved as registry premiums and carry higher renewal fees — these are flagged at checkout.
- Standard ICANN policies apply, including the 60-day transfer lock after registration.
Creative .science Domain Ideas
- OpenData.science — a portal sharing public research datasets
- QuantumLab.science — a research group's public-facing site
- Climate.science — a long-form journalism project on climate research
- AskA.science — a Q&A platform connecting the public with experts
- Citizen.science — a hub for volunteer-led research projects
- Marine.science — an oceanography blog and resource library
Frequently asked questions about .science
Anyone. There are no eligibility checks, academic credentials or institutional affiliations required. Individuals, companies, schools, charities and research groups anywhere in the world can register a .science domain on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to standard ICANN registration policies and the registry's acceptable-use rules.
You can register a .science domain for any term between one and ten years. You can also renew at any point during the registration to extend the total term, again up to a maximum of ten years from the renewal date. Setting auto-renew is the easiest way to avoid losing the name.
Yes. As long as the domain is at least 60 days old, not within 60 days of a previous transfer, and unlocked at your current registrar with a valid authorisation (EPP) code, you can move it across. The inbound transfer adds one year to the existing expiry date at no loss of registration time.
After expiry the domain enters a roughly 30-day grace period during which you can renew at the standard price. It then moves into a 30-day redemption period with a higher restoration fee, followed by a five-day pending-delete window. After that the name is released back to the public pool for anyone to register.
Yes. The registry classifies a small subset of desirable names as premium, and these carry higher registration and renewal fees that recur each year. Any premium pricing is shown clearly in the search results before you commit, so there are no surprises at checkout.