Who are our members and founders?
The SCGA was set up by a group of Scotland’s leading universities, and looked from the beginning to form new partnerships with civil society and the business community in Scotland and across the United Kingdom.
The SCGA’s founding partners are the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh.
The following is taken from the university’s press release at launch time:
Professor Peter Jackson, Chair in Global Security at the University of Glasgow and the first Executive Director of the SCGA, said: “There has been a pressing need for some years for an institute of international affairs in Scotland.
“The SCGA will promote an independent perspective on global affairs and give voice to the formidable range of expertise on international issues that exists in this country.”
The following is taken from the university’s press release at launch time:
Professor Phillips O’Brien, Chair of Strategic Studies in the School of International Relations and a world-renowned expert on global affairs, including the war in Ukraine, is a Co-Director of the new think tank.
Professor O’Brien said: “’It’s time that Scotland had a rigorous, non-partisan, people-focussed Global Affairs institute that can bring together Scotland’s brilliant researchers with a range of groups from across society.
“The SCGA will sponsor collaborative research efforts, host a regular series of public events and projects, and establish connections with peoples and groups from around the world. It’s the right institution at the right time.”
The following is taken from the university’s press release at launch time:
Professor Juliet Kaarbo, now at St Andrews but, at time of our launch, Chair of Foreign Policy at the University of Edinburgh, said:
“This is a significant first step in marshalling the considerable expertise in global affairs in Scotland’s higher education sector. The SCGA will be a centre for exciting, high-quality policy-relevant research, debate and dialogue on global issues, such as international conflict, peacebuilding, climate change, economic development and cooperation, and global health.
The ambition and scope of this new centre is immense and by harnessing expertise from across the United Kingdom, and beyond, it will have a real and positive impact on the world and how we engage with it.”
