| Administrative History | The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, was originally the body charged with overseeing the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Commission consisted of members of all political parties as well as individuals who were prominent in the fields of art, science, agriculture and architecture, which included the Presidents of the Geological Society, Institution of Civil Engineers and the chair of the East India Company who served in an ex-officio capacity.
So successful was the event, that the Commission was established as a permanent body under the terms of a Charter dated 2 December 1851 to administer the substantial profits from the Great Exhibition and specifically, to use them "to increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry". Nowadays the Presidents of GSL and ICE are still ex-officio members of the Commission, but are no longer required to attend meetings (after 1993 the Commission ceased to sit as a separate body), but instead receive the Commission's Annual Report and Accounts.
Since 1890, the Commission generally grants funding for studentships and fellowships to individuals. |