The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is launching a two-year pilot training scheme to enable regional museums in the UK to develop their photography collections and build specialist curatorial expertise.

The programme – backed by UK national fundraising charity the Art Fund – will enable the V&A to work with two museum partners over two years, offering practical training and mentoring in photograph curatorship.

According to the V&A, the scheme aims to address the fact that many photography collections in the UK are “dormant” and “inaccessible to the public” because of a lack of support, specialist knowledge and financial resources in the country’s regional institutions.

The programme will enable the chosen museums to develop expertise, raise the public profile of their permanent photograph collections and improve public access to them. The scheme is also intended to build collaborative partnerships and lay the foundation for a subject specialist network for photography curators in future.

The deadline for applications from regional museums is 11 August. For more information click here.