The UK SMC has its roots in the influential House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee third report on Science and Society, which wanted to renew public trust in science. Established in 2002, the SMC was originally based in the Royal Institution of Great Britain until becoming a separate charity in its own right in April 2011; it is now housed in the Wellcome Collection in London. The UK SMC was the first SMC to be established and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022.

Chief executive: Fiona Fox