Science and Civilisation in China is a series of books initiated and edited by British biochemist and China scholar Joseph Needham (1900-1995). They deal with the history of science and technology in China. To date there have been 27 volumes (and parts). In 1954, Needham — along with an international team of collaborators — started a project to study the science and civilisation of ancient China. This project produced a series of volumes published by the Cambridge University Press. The project is still continuing under the guidance of the Publications Board of the Needham Research Institute (NRI), chaired by Christopher Cullen.