The forthcoming Dundee gallery of the Victoria and Albert Museum could be set to benefit from £4m of EU funding.

The £45m venue, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is set to open on the north bank of the Tay in 2015.

The bid for funding is being backed by the Scottish Government, which has already pledged to cover a third of the project's costs.

If negotiations are successful, the money would be allocated from the European Regional Development Fund.

The fund was established to boost economic development in EU member countries and has already provided funding for a proposed upgrade to Dundee's only train station.

SNP councillor Will Dawson, convener of economic development on Dundee City Council, said: "The EDRF has already put £2.2m towards the new station concourse and the transport hub there.

"The college and universities have both benefited from the EDRF over the last few years and it's also fed into our partnerships such as BioDundee."

A spokesman for the V&A at Dundee said: "We are in the application stage for European funding and are progressing with help from the Scottish Government. This is a process which takes a considerable amount of time.

"We are continuing to develop the funding which will support the project, speaking to Government, public bodies and sources of private investment, including trusts and foundations."

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