Samsung and the British Museum win Arts & Busine Award

Samsung Electronics (UK) Ltd and the British Museum received the Long Term Partnership Award at last nights 35th annual Arts & Business Awards. The Samsung Digital Discovery Centre at the British Museum was recognised as having shown innovation and careful planning, and the partnership was commended for inspiring the community, attracting over 40,000 visitors to the Digital Discovery Centre in the first four years.

Created in 2009, the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre (SDDC) provides a state-of-the-art technological hub for children and young people to learn about and interact with the Museum's collection. It offers the most ambitious and extensive on-site digital learning programme of any UK museum, with eleven different school programmes running throughout the school year, and family programmes operating fifty weekends a year.

Andy Griffiths, Managing Director, Samsung UK & Ireland, said: Samsung is thrilled that the partnership with the British Museum has been such a success and we're delighted it's been recognised by the industry and A&B Awards. We want to inspire young people to unlock their learning potential through the use of technology and The British Museum has been at the forefront of innovating digital learning and we are excited to see where the future will take us.

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, said: The Museum's long-standing partnership with Samsung has enabled us to be at the forefront of digital education, with a programme that gets better year on year. This is a very proud moment. Families and schoolchildren of all ages have found these superb digital tools irresistible, and for us they have become indispensable in opening up and encouraging active engagement with our vast and varied collection.

The BP A&B Long-term Partnership Award category recognises the innovative way in which technology has been used to enhance the work of both organisations, demonstrating that long-term collaborations between the arts and business sectors can drive new and exciting arts initiatives throughout the UK. For more information on the Digital Discovery Centre, please click here to visit the British Museum website (opens in a new tab).

About Samsung and the British Museum

In 2009, Samsung and the British Museum agreed a 5 year partnership to offer innovative digital learning to schools and families within the British Museum. The project, which includes both financial and in-kind support, is delivered through the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre (SDDC) with the aim of positively enhancing the learning experience of young people within the cultural environment. The SDDC offers the most extensive on-site digital learning of any UK museum, with 11 programmes throughout the academic year, and family programmes 50 weekends a year. All activities are free. In the first 4 years of operation, the SDDC attracted over 40,000 participants from 3 to 18 years. The original partnership between Samsung and the British Museum also included the provision of 20 digital screens providing up to date information in the Museum to 6 million visitors a year.

In 2013, Samsung renewed the sponsorship for another 5 years, enabling the Museum to continue its work by creating additional innovative programmes that respond to the new English National Curriculum (including Augmented Reality, developing apps which use image recognition and 3-D printing.) The renewal enables the BM to develop more teacher-led activities in the galleries using Samsung tablets, extending the reach of the SDDC beyond its physical confines. Additionally, the new programme has incorporated Samsung School software and technology into some sessions, creating a perfect collaboration reflecting each organisations commitment to education.

About the Samsung Digital Classroom initiative.

This partnership forms part of Samsungs wider commitment to help close the digital literacy and skills gap in the UK. In addition to offering qualifications and training in technology through the Samsung Digital Academy, it is also providing access to the latest technology in schools through its Digital Classroom initiative, charities/non-profit organisations and cultural partners, particularly working with children and young people. Samsung is also providing the training and maintenance support necessary to help make the transition and integration of the new technology as smooth as possible. These initiatives will inspire young people, staff and teachers to learn and teach in new exciting ways and to help encourage young people into careers using technology.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com

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