Centre studying the life and works of Robert Burns wins top award
Glasgow University wins Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education
The University of Glasgow is celebrating being awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education for the work of a centre it set up to study the works of Scotland’s national bard, Ayrshire’s Robert Burns,
The Prize was awarded to the University in recognition of the range and impact of the projects at the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, chiefly Editing and Curating Burns for the 21st Century.
The Queen's Anniversary Prizes celebrate excellence, innovation and public benefit in work carried out by UK colleges and universities.
Who was Robert Burns?
Born in 1759 in Alloway, Robert Burns is one of the world’s most celebrated and commemorated poets.
His poems and songs have been translated into every major language including Russian, German, French and Chines with some 9.5 million people worldwide estimated to attend Burns Suppers annually.
Burns’s version of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – the New Year anthem - has been performed by everyone from Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix.
In January 2020, a report by the Centre for Robert Burns Studies revealed Scotland’s national bard is worth just over £200 million a year to the Scottish economy and the poet’s brand is worth nearly £140 million annually.
READ MORE: Rare Burns manuscripts on display
Unique expertise
Colleagues at the Centre for Robert Burns Studies said: “We’re thrilled and honoured. The team have worked extremely hard to channel our unique concentration of expertise to create a world-leading research centre, illuminating Burns’s life, works, economic impact and legacy
“This very significant endorsement of Burns Studies at Glasgow means a great deal to us insofar as it recognises the cultural significance of Burns as a national and international poet and wider cultural legacies for the 21st century.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow said: “Burns’s enduring appeal continues to drive interest not just in his work and life, but in Scotland as a whole, which has in turn helped to drive tourism, economic benefit and has positioned our Centre as a leader in research, innovation, and education in this field.
A day at the palace
This is the 6th time that the University of Glasgow has won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize. Previously the University won in 1994, 1998, 2013, 2017 and 2021.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prize scheme is unique in the honours systems in that it is granted to an institution as a whole.
The University will receive its award at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace in February 2024.
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