The Smithsonian Institution

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

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Photo by Hugh Talman and James Di Loreto, Smithsonian InstitutionOpen larger image

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

Established in 2000 our Memorandum of Understanding has resulted in numerous successful collaborations and two prestigious fellowships.

The current Queensland Smithsonian Memorandum of Understanding runs from 2018-2021 (PDF, 537.6KB) .

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
  • 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.

View past and current projects that have been conducted by Queensland-Smithsonian and Queensland-Cooper-Hewitt fellows.

Note: The Fellowship Grant program is currently on hold while international travel restrictions are in place.

Events program

In response to the global travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year we are virtually connecting with the Smithsonian Institution through the Queensland-Smithsonian Speaker Series. The scheduled topics are:

  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
    Coming soon
  3. Oceans
    Coming soon