About Panmure House
Since its inception in 2018, Adam Smith’s Panmure House has evolved into a leading think tank for convening the brightest minds to further classical liberal thought – advancing Adam Smith’s principles through its annual programmes.
Originally built in 1691, Smith occupied the House between 1778 and 1790, during which time he completed the final editions of his master works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations.
Our mission is to provide world-influencing social and economic debate and research, convening in the name of Adam Smith to effect positive change and forge global, future-focussed networks.
2025 Highlights at Panmure House
We were honoured to welcome Sir Keith Skeoch to the Panmure House stage to deliver the inaugural Panmure House Forum, held in partnership with the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). Ahead of the UK Budget announcement on 26 November, Sir Keith’s lecture, The State of the UK Economy: Reconnecting Risk, Capital & Labour to Revive Long-term Growth offers a timely and insightful exploration into the UK’s economic landscape and its path forward.
The Panmure House Prizeis an annual award of US$75,000, supporting research that explores the relationship between long-term thinking and radical innovation. The Prize is awarded to emerging leaders in academia and reflects Adam Smith’s commitment to rigorous empiricism and interdisciplinary inquiry.
In 2025, we hosted Professor Kirk Doran, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and 2024 Panmure House Prize winner. Professor Doran has been researching the drivers behind innovation for 14 years and believes the key to long-term innovation and economic growth is unplanned intellectual friendships.
We announced the 2025 Panmure House Prize winner, Professor Tima Bansal, for her pioneering research and advocacy for systems thinking in organisational practices to uncover systemic opportunities for change – leading to stronger innovations, thriving communities, and a healthier planet.
The Adam Smith Lecture Series invites some of the world’s most influential thinkers — from leading economists and political voices to Nobel Laureates and global business leaders — to deliver keynote lectures on their areas of expertise at Panmure House.
In 2025, we deepened public understanding of artificial Intelligence (AI) by welcoming Brendan McCord, founder of the Cosmos Institute. His lecture explored the concept of AI deference through the lens of Adam Smith’s work, examining how unchecked reliance on artificial intelligence could erode the moral foundations that underpin human society.
In 2025, Panmure House hosted the inaugural Panmure House Speech with Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes.
The Speech unveiled a £24 million investment in Kishorn Port — one of Scotland’s most strategically significant maritime hubs — positioning Panmure House as the first forum to hear the Scottish Government’s plans to attract investment and its key priorities for the years ahead.
We were also pleased to welcome business leaders, journalists, and senior diplomats from Japan, Germany, India, Brazil, Ireland, Romania, China, and the United States, who contributed valuable insights to the morning’s discussion on Scotland’s economic future.