Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world.
The University of Glasgow is ranked 79th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2026, and is in the world top 100 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 and the UK top 15 in the Guardian University Guide 2024.
The University has an average annual research income of £197M since 2020/21 and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities. It welcomes students from more than 140 countries worldwide and has around 35,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The Centre operates under the University of Glasgow’s charitable status. A record for the John Smith Centre’s Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) is available to access via the Scottish charity regulator’s website. The SCIO exists as a legal entity in order to contract with the University of Glasgow to produce a Memorandum of Association which details our governance arrangements. The SCIO files zero sum accounts as the funds we raise and spend are held by the University of Glasgow.
The John Smith Centre Board oversees the conduct, leadership and management of the Centre and includes members of the Smith family, University of Glasgow alumni, public service practitioners and academic staff. Find out more about our board here.