Inaugurated in 1990, the B.M. Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad was built with the purpose of disseminating scientific knowledge nd ias also an important centre for research and development. The Centre is dedicated to science but its activities extend to art and archaeology as well.

The Museum exhibits simple science concepts and models, especially for students. The archaeology museum, on the other hand, has archaeological exhibits on display in a chronological order, for the benefit of young students, along with sculptures from across Indian cultures. Visitors can find wood carvings, miniature paintings, palm leaf manuscripts and illustrated manuscripts at the Museum. A dedicated art gallery, which hosts collections made over the years by the Birla family and some donated to the Centre, is also available for viewing. The Centre is home to rare manuscripts, notably of the writer and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Over time, several additions have been made to the Centre, including a Dinosaurium, a gallery of modern art, a doll museum, a gallery dedicated to Nobel Laureates, an astronomical observatory, an interdisciplinary space museum in collaboration with ISRO, etc. The Centre also has a state of the art planetarium.

The Museum has played host to several noted personalities, including Nobel laureates and former prime ministers of India. The Centre has dedicated spaces for programmes including auditoriums and open air venues. The Centre also has a library and a study hall. The planetarium in particular is acclaimed to be one of the best in the world, and attracts scores of students and visitors. The Centre also continues to host many prestigious visitorship programmes and memorial lectures by distinguished visitors like Professor Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the Dalai Lama and Sir Harold Kroto among others.

The Centre has made special provisions for visiting school students and facilitates lectures for them, for which the schools can directly contact the administration. Both separate and combined tickets can be purchased at a discount for visiting school children. A small canteen is also available within the campus.