Our Museums

Research

Research is the foundation for everything that we do. Our research spans a range of disciplines, including collection management, conservation science, education, and audience & programming development.

Contact Research Manager
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Our Commitment

Through interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships, our research projects bring together specialists from museums, higher education institutions and industrial partners; and with the increasing knowledge and understanding about the specimens in our care, we can inspire and engage audiences in a range of different ways. Our research is underpinned by National Museums NI Collections Research Policy which ensures our commitment to fulfil our statutory obligations under Article 4 (1) of the Museums & Galleries (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.

Research collaborations

  • For an academic research project that would involve working with National Museums NI please contact the Research Manager no later than 2 months before the application deadline.
  • Researchers (with academic affiliation or independent scholars) wishing to access our collections/data please contact the department you are interested in or the Research Manager.

We are pleased to support postgraduate research by participating in collaborative doctoral projects (CDA, CDP, CDT) and facilitating access to our collections, sites and staff expertise. Current and former collaborative doctoral researchers have been supported by external funders, such as Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and the Northern Bridge Consortium.

Submit a research request

Please note that due to the high volume of requests to assess any proposals for analysis or to access our collections, it may take up to 3 months to assess your request. We will work with you about expected timeline and specific details of your request and the subsequent agreed timeframe to undertake the requested analysis. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Research Priorities 

We have an extensive, significant collections across the disciplines of History, Art and Natural Sciences. Our organisational research priorities reflect the strengths of these collections and align with the ambitions and commitments outlined in National Museums NI’s Corporate Strategy 2021-5. Whilst research activity will not be limited to these priorities, particular attention and resources will be devoted to them, and they will help inform decision making and act as a guide for those wishing to undertake research in partnership with us.

We are currently developing new research priorities in Conservation, Collection Management, Education, Audience & Programming Development which will be added to the National Museums NI Research Policy and this webpage in due course.

Troubles and Beyond. The civil and political conflict known as ‘the Troubles’ has dominated the history of Northern Ireland from the late 1960s. Taking in multiple perspectives, we seek to provide context to this period by examining political, social, economic, and cultural activity, and we consider the impact and legacy of the conflict today.

Industry and Innovation. From linen to ships, ejector seats to pneumatic tyres, we are interested in how industry and innovation in this place have transformed both economy and society, through successes and failures, growth and decline.

Cultural Diversity and Identity. Questions of who we are and how we express our identities are complex and can be contentious. In considering cultural diversity and identity, we look back across history and consider the beliefs, symbols, customs and prejudices that have shaped our past and our present.

Inclusive Global Histories. Our collections are simultaneously local and international, and through an inclusive approach to global histories and decolonisation we seek to bring marginalised voices to the fore and promote mutual respect and understanding.

Art and Ideas. Irish and International Art, both fine and applied, are the greatest strengths of our collection. Through ‘Art and Ideas’ we consider artistic expression and practice, both what has informed Irish and International Art and the influences they have had within the context of the wider development of Western Art.

Diversity in Art. National Museums NI has made a commitment to champion, inclusion, diversity and accessibility. For our Art collections this means recovering and celebrating those who have traditionally been overlooked, whether due to gender, race, sexuality, disability or class.

Troubles Art. We are interested in how artists have responded to the recent conflict and its legacy through their artistic practice, and how art offers unique avenues for exploring and reflecting upon the manifestations and impact of violence and of division in our society.

Understanding Environmental Change. Our natural environment is in crisis globally, threatened by climate change, pollution and habitat destruction, resulting in biodiversity loss. We seek to unlock the invaluable and irreplaceable information held in our Natural Sciences collections, to help advance understanding of environmental change and identify its potential mitigations.

Reconnecting with Nature. We are interested in how, through our collections, on-site wild places and environmental data sets, we can reconnect people with nature and encourage individual agency in recording, championing and protecting our natural world.

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Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships

The Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme of the Arts and Humanities Research Council is designed to encourage and develop collaboration between UK Higher Education Institutions and non-HEI organisations like museums and galleries.

Ulster Folk Museum Costume & Textiles Collection

Our Folk Museum Costume and Textiles collection is currently closed to external researchers while we complete a new storage project, which will help to safeguard this significant collection and ensure greater accessibility in the longer term. We cannot consider research requests to physically access the collection at this time. Stay up to date on the project here.

Archaeology Research Requests             

The Archaeology team is actively collaborating on multiple research projects, limiting our capacity to accommodate new research requests or collaborations until January 2025. Additionally, our Collections Care team is currently engaged in assessing the human remains in our collection, meaning any potential research access to ancient Irish human remains cannot be considered until after May 2025.

Painting Research Requests

For the present time, due to pressures of a large scale and ambitious programme of collections movement, we unable to offer access to the paintings in storage. We regret this, however we are working towards making the art collection more accessible in the future and ask for your patience during this busy period.

Student Placements

We prioritise placements that are integral part of the course and organised by the course leader together with the Research Manager. Other placements can be organised, but both undergraduate and taught postgraduate students will need to ask their course leader to contact the Research Manager.

Projects & Collaborations

The Congruence Engine Project

The Congruence Engine is a three-year research project, started in November 2021, that will use the latest digital techniques to connect industrial history collections held in different locations. It is one of five ‘Discovery Projects’ funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council under the ‘Towards a National Collection’ funding stream. As a data-providing project partner, National Museums NI has committed to sharing 5,000 collection records for inclusion in the project under the headline themes of textiles, energy and communications.

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