The Royal Commission of 1851’s Commitment to Academic Excellence and Sustainability

The Royal Commission of 1851 has played a key role in fostering innovation and learning in South Kensington for over 170 years.  By funding academic research, it supports critical research into areas like planetary science, ecosystem engineering, climate change resilience.

The Royal Commission supports a range of prestigious academic fellowships at leading institutions such as the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and the University of Cambridge.  This can range from understanding climate change in the deep past to converting sewage into agricultural fertiliser, to developing CO2-based polymers for innovative new plastics.

Through this kind of research - and indeed through its support of the South Ken ZEN+ Programme as a whole - the Commission continues its stewardship of the neighbourhood as a legacy of the Great Exhibition, celebrating South Kensington’s heritage while championing sustainability and progress for future generations.