North East Museums

Northumbria University and North East Museums share a long-standing relationship built on a mutual commitment to the art, culture, heritage and science of the North East.

Formalised through an ambitious collaborative partnership, we are working together to tell new stories about the North, find new ways of conserving and interpreting its heritage, and ensure that culture and history remain central to our region. 

This is a university-wide partnership, spanning subjects from History and Conservation of Fine Art, to Law, Engineering, and Children and Early Years. North East Museums colleagues deliver teaching directly into Northumbria programmes, giving students access to specialist museum professionals, world-class collections, and working archives that enrich their studies and open new avenues for research. 

The partnership supports activity across three core areas: 

• Teaching and learning: North East Museums staff deliver into modules across all four faculties, bringing live briefs, archive handling, and subject-specific expertise that connects academic study to professional practice. 
• Research and knowledge exchange: An interdisciplinary Research Working Group develops collaborative research, funding bids, and impact case studies across themes including health and wellbeing, digital collections management, heritage, climate, and social mobility. 
• Placements and employability: Students from a range of programmes have access to placement and work experience opportunities across North East Museums' venues throughout Tyne and Wear. 

The partnership also supports curriculum development, public lectures, and collaborative research conferences all aimed at reinforcing Northumbria's role as an anchor institution in the cultural life of the North East. 

Academic Lead: Dr. Carlos Conde Solares