THE PARTNERS behind the V&A at Dundee project say they are confident they will reach their funding target.
Design Dundee also insisted it is still working towards opening the design museum to the public in 2015, although admitted the schedule could be affected by circumstances outside their control.
Building the museum, which has been designed by Kengo Kuma, at its chosen site by the waterfront will cost £33 million. Another £12m will be needed to fit it out.
Design Dundee is tapping into a range of sources as it tries to reach its £45m target. The Scottish Government has been the biggest supporter, pledging a third of the cost.
A spokesman for the partners said: “We are progressing with our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, who have given us a first-phase pass on a total bid for £9.2m.
“We are continuing to work on an application to the European Regional Development Fund and are working on an application for arts lottery funding.
“We are also working on other possible contributions but are not in a position to discuss these at this time.”
The outcome of the Heritage Lottery Fund application will be known this year.
Efforts are also being made to attract cash from private sources. A campaign board has been recruited to find individuals, trusts and companies willing to donate but Design Dundee has declined to confirm how successful this process has been to date.
Last year a change was made to the site of the V&A to reduce the risk of the project going over budget. The original vision had been for most of the museum to be built out over the Tay, but it has been brought back mostly onshore.
Much of the museum will occupy land where the Olympia leisure centre is now. A delay in opening the Olympia’s replacement means that demolition work cannot start before the summer.
This has led to worries that the opening of the V&A could be delayed into 2016.
The Design Dundee spokesman was unable to rule that out, but said: “Our long-stated aim is to have the building complete in 2015 and open to the public. There are numerous factors which may affect this schedule, many of them outwith our control, but for the moment we are working to the 2015 date.”
grsmith@thecourier.co.uk