University of Glasgow signs Strategic Partnership agreement with Smithsonian

The University of Glasgow and the Smithsonian Institution will today enter into a major cross Atlantic partnership agreement. This is a significant development in the relationship between two of the most prominent research and teaching institutions in the world. The new strategic partnership continues the unparalleled access to historic collections in Scotland and the USA taught by leading academics, who are also crossing the Atlantic in both directions to purse major research collaborations. The new agreement covers everything from antiquities to astrophysics, and from preservation of natural ecosystems to the protection of culture heritage including both institutions' Whistler collections and worldwide research in traditional Pacific barkcloth. The Smithsonian (1846) is the largest museum, education and research organisation in the world, with 19 museums, nine research centres, 154 million objects and an annual budget of $1.5bn (for fiscal year 2018). ‌‌ The institutions will sign the agreement today (6 June 2018) at a special ceremony being held in Washington DC. The Strategic Partnership agreement builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two institutions in 2016.