UK announces 1.5 million pound fund for cultural collaboration

To promote cultural exchange between the two countries, the UK today announced a 1.5 million pound fund for artists and cultural organisations.
Under the project 'Re-Imagine India' the fund will support artists and cultural organisations for projects which promote creative collaborations, showcase the best of UK and Indian arts across a range of art forms and activity, and connect English and Indian artists with diaspora communities in England.
"It is specifically designed to increase cultural exchange between India and Britain. You have some fantastic museums throughout India. I have seen many of them as well. There is already cooperation going on and I want to see more. We want to encourage that and thats why this fund has been set up to see what more they can do," UK culture secretary Sajid Javid told reporters here.

The scheme has been launched by Arts Council England and British Council which has already committed another 5 million pound fund for the 'Re-Imagine Arts' programme (2013-17).
A statement from British Council said while the new funding is till 2017, there is likely to be additional funds for the project in 2016,.
"This is a brilliant project, not simply because of the creative links that will be formed but also because it will reach artists and audiences in communities that are sometimes overlooked, but whose passion for culture burns just as brightly as for those in big cities," Javid said.

From 2015, organisations can apply for smaller grants of 15,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds to develop new ideas and explore partnerships.

Javid is with a high-level delegation from leading UK museums including the British Museum, Natural History Museum, V&A, National Museums of Scotland, Tate Modern and the British Library in Kolkata to further develop new and sustainable connections between the UK and Indian museums.
During a meeting with representatives of Indian museums they discussed opportunities to explore UK-India collaborations.
Victorial Memorial curator Jayanta Sengupta suggested that they must integrate digital images of artifacts.
Javid said their museums have many items especially of the history of British India and Indian manuscripts of almost every Indian language, many of which they are now digitising so that anyone can access it around the world.