Frequently asked questions

Q. What is a hub?
A. Regional museum hubs are a cluster of 4-5 museums which receive government investment in order to develop as centres of excellence and as leaders of their regional museum communities. They aspire to the highest standards in exhibition content and presentation; learning, education and outreach services; collections management; and other key museum activities.

Q. How were the hubs picked?
A. An expert panel chaired by Mark Wood and including Museums Association, National Museums Directors Conference, Department for Culture Media & Sport & Department for Education & Skills representatives met in January 2004 to consider Hub applications based on the following criteria:

• Readiness to deliver Renaissance & evidence of how they would work as a Hub
• Support from their existing funding bodies
• Number of designated Collections
• Deprivation and rurality scores of each region because a policy priority for DCMS and the programme was to take collections more accessible to communities where deprivation was high or where it was difficult for rural communities to visit museums
• Number of visits to regional museums
• State of the regional infrastructure and whether it would be able to support the Hub effectively.

Q. Why do regional museums need this funding?
A. In 2001 a number of factors had combined to create the problematic situation for regional museums, they were identified by the task force as:

• User expectations exceeding the resources which could be provided by existing governing bodies
• A great deal of potential in the sector going unfulfilled
• Museums ill-equipped to deliver against recognised role in education, learning inclusion and quality of life
• General deterioration in resources.

Q. Why do only hubs get the money?
A. Renaissance doesn’t only fund hubs. It also provides funding to Regional Agencies and invests in a number of national projects and resources that benefit the whole museum community.

Q. What is the Museum Development Fund (MDF)?
A. MDF is managed by MLA regional agencies. The aim of the MDF programme is to provide advice, support and funding for small and medium sized museums. The advice and support offered in each region varies. Log onto the MDF section of the website for more information about the support available for your museum.

Q. What are Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs)?
A. Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs) were a key element of the original Renaissance in the Regions report and over £500,000 of Renaissance funding has been invested in them. They are a way for the sector to share knowledge, expertise and collections, with the aim of improving visitors’ experience. They bring together the wider museums community, with expertise and experience from archive and library professionals. For more information log onto the SSNs section of the website.