The Smithsonian Institution

Queensland has a longstanding and very productive research relationship with the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex.

Photo of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.Open larger image

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Photo credit: © Hugh Talman and James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution.

Established in 2000 our Memorandum of Understanding (PDF, 537.6KB) has resulted in successful collaborations and two prestigious fellowships.

Fellowships

This program creates an invaluable exchange of skills and knowledge for Queensland and the United States of America, and enhances our science, educational and cultural capabilities.

Valued at $25,000 and $20,000 respectively, the Queensland-Smithsonian and Queensland-Cooper-Hewitt fellowship programs are helping advance global knowledge in:

  • eco and life sciences
  • natural and cultural heritage
  • social sciences and education
  • museum management
  • the arts and design.

The Fellowship programs are designed to address areas of mutual interest between Queensland and the Smithsonian Institution. Since 2001, 65 Queensland fellows have been funded to visit the United States and/or Panama and collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution on projects of mutual interest and benefit.

The 2023 Queensland Smithsonian Fellowship program is now open for applications and closes on 30 March 2023.

View past projects funded under the Queensland-Smithsonian and Queensland-Cooper-Hewitt programs.

Events program

In response to the global travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic we connected virtually with the Smithsonian Institution by collaboratively organising with them the online Queensland-Smithsonian Speaker Series.

Past events available for viewing online

  1. Digital futures for scientific collections
    27 May 2021
    See event program (PDF, 348.0KB)
    View recordings of the event by following the below links:
  2. Fire: Recovery and Resilience
    24 August 2021
    See event program (PDF, 493.6KB)
    View event recording
  3. Oceans: life on the edge
    16 November 2021
    See event program (PDF, 477.0KB)
    View event recording
  4. Seasonal migrations: transiting environments
    16 June 2022
    See event program (PDF, 463.7KB)
    View event recording