Major awards for engineers or scientists working in industry

Various types of awards, please check individual links at the bottom of this page for further information.

Background to the Royal Commission

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 was established in 1850 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria to organise the Great Exhibition. Prince Albert was appointed President and took personal charge of the whole complex operation.

The Exhibition was an enormous success and made a substantial profit. The Commission, about to be dissolved, was enjoined by Royal Charter to remain constituted and to administer the profits for charitable purposes. The Charter charged the Commission with 'increasing the means of industrial education and extending the influence of science and art upon productive industry'.

To this end the Commission purchased 86 acres of land in South Kensington and established the unique cultural site of three great museums, the Royal Albert Hall and what have become renowned institutions of learning, including Imperial College and the Royal Colleges of Art and Music. It continues to own the freehold of, and manage, much of this estate.

When this huge undertaking was largely complete, there remained sufficient funds for the Royal Commission to set up, in 1891, an educational trust to perpetuate its aims. In spite of generous funding of many worthy enterprises right from the outset, these slender resources have been carefully husbanded over the years. Today, with capital assets of over £40m, annual charitable disbursement exceeds £1.4m.

Giving fellowships and grants to pure research in science and engineering, applied research in industry, industrial design and other projects, the Commission supports the development of science and technology, and its profitable exploitation by British Industry. Details of these competitive educational schemes are on this website.

Types of awards

The core programme of the Commission's awards comprises Research Fellowships, Industrial Fellowships and Industrial Design Studentships. The Commission also offers a Research Fellowship for the Built Environment and a Research Fellowship in Design as well as occasional Special Awards.

The Research Fellowship in Design is a new award introduced in 2006 and is part of the Commission’s continuing work to promote and develop excellence in pursuance of its original aims.

Our 2006 award holders are now online.

Previous and current winners of major 1851 awards now have an Alumni Association, enabling them to remain in touch with the Commission and its work.