We are an educational charity, registered in Scotland, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland. We were established in 1783 and since then have drawn upon the considerable strengths and varied expertise of our Fellows, of which there are currently more than 1500, who are based in Scotland, the rest of the UK and beyond.
Unlike similar organisations in the rest of the UK, our Fellowship includes people from a wide range of disciplines - science & technology, arts, humanties, social science, business and public service. This breadth of expertise makes us unique in the UK. The time which our Fellows spend in supporting and enabling the delivery of our activities is an exceptional free resource, the annual public value of which is in excess of £0.6 million.