National Museums Scotland has been recognised as an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Only 11 museums hold IRO status and National Museums Scotland is the only museum organisation in Scotland to have achieved this status.

IRO status is only awarded by the AHRC to organisations which make an enormous contribution to research, both within and outside of the higher education sector.

There are a number of funding opportunities now available to National Museums Scotland to support different types of activities. AHRC runs Responsive Mode schemes, which run repeatedly, and for which proposals are driven by the ideas and needs of the individuals proposing the research. We also run Strategic Initiatives, which involve one-off competitions aimed at supporting specific thematic ideas. National Museums Scotland’s new IRO status will create more opportunities for partnership work amongst academic and other research institutions.

Jane Carmichael, Director of Collections said; ‘We are delighted that our application has been successful. This opens up considerable opportunities for future research at National Museums Scotland and to share that knowledge widely.’

Current research themes at National Museums Scotland range across national and international collections and encompass a wide range of subjects from biodiversity and climate change to analysis of archaeological finds, studies in Scottish engineering, and modern dress design. Research includes work on Scotland's military history, as well as Roman and native interaction, the aborigine collections from the Canadian Great Lakes and the ethnomusicology collection assembled by Jean Jenkins.

-ENDS-

AHRC Media contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, 01793 416021; j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk  

Notes to Editor:

Independent Research Organisations (IROs): IRO status is awarded by the AHRC to organisations which make an enormous contribution to research, both within and outside of the higher education sector. IROs are eligible to apply to AHRC as the principle Research Organisation, though they may still collaborate with other museums, galleries, libraries and archives. The current list of IROs is as follows:

•The British Library
•The British Museum
•The National Archives
•The National Gallery*
•The National Maritime Museum
•National Museums Liverpool
•National Museum Wales
•National Museums Scotland
•The National Portrait Gallery
•Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
•Tate
•NSMI
•The Victoria and Albert Museum

Once granted, eligibility will continue unless the IRO has received no funding during the first five years of recognition. In this situation, the AHRC may review the IROs eligibility. A change in status of an IRO may require re-consideration of an IROs eligibility.

Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,300 postgraduate awards. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.

Please note that National Museums Scotland (no ‘of’ or ‘the’) is the corporate name. The  individual museums are called the National Museum of Scotland, the National Museum of Flight, the National Museum of Rural Life, the National Museum of Costume and the National War Museum.