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Technical Examination Network

This programme will support 6-8 organisations to access technical equipment and expertise to analyse a painting and unearth new stories.

The Technical Examination Network is a programme from Art Fund in partnership with the National Gallery.

It supports museums to analyse a painting in their collection with access to the technical equipment and expertise of the National Gallery, Courtauld Institute of Art and Hamilton Kerr Institute.

Technical examination of paintings offers huge potential for museums and galleries to discover more about works in their collections. Investigating the processes, materials and techniques of making can provide greater understanding of how, why, when and where a work of art was produced, and also any changes over time, allowing insight into the artist’s original intentions.

Many new non-invasive analytical imaging techniques have become available in recent years, such as X-ray fluorescence scanning and hyperspectral imaging, enhancing and complementing long-established tools such as infrared reflectography, X-radiography and paint sample analysis.

This opportunity is aimed at public collections that do not have in-house resources for scientific or technical examination of paintings.

Find out more about how we evaluate our programmes.

Art Fund's Technical Examination Network programme is made possible in partnership with Lempriere Pringle 2015 and Anthony Mould.

What we can fund

The programme will support projects with the most interesting and urgent research questions and that have a strong chance of benefitting from technical examination. It will prioritise projects that have:  

  • Compelling plans for how the technical examination and findings from it will benefit their audiences, for example through displays, exhibitions, or digital media.  

  • Potential for new discoveries about a poorly understood painting in a collection, or a work that has not been regularly displayed.  

  • Potential to offer wider opportunities for research activity beyond basic assessments of condition (although complex conservation projects or condition questions will be considered).  
     

What we cannot fund:  

  • Museums who already have access to this kind of technology, for example national museums  

  • Works of art that are not paintings  

  • Overhead costs for staff time, exhibition or installation costs  

Who can apply

This opportunity is aimed at non-national organisations with public collections without in-house resources for technical conservation or technical research, or without access to more advanced techniques of examination.  

We will consider applications from UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives that:   

  • Do not receive direct government sponsorship  

  • Are open for at least half the week for at least six months of the year   

  • Are at least provisionally accredited under the Arts Council Accreditation Scheme  

Key deadlines

Applications close on 11 January 2027

How to apply

Your application

Get in touch

We strongly advise you to contact the National Gallery email helpdesk when you begin to prepare an application. The helpdesk can help you to formulate your proposal and advise on which instruments or technologies might be suitable. They can also give examples of previous projects that have been funded through this programme, to help guide your application.

Contact the helpdesk

Submit your application

Download a copy of the application form. Once you have completed the form, please email your application and any supporting documentation to Marika Spring (marika.spring@nationalgallery.org.uk)

Download application form

After you've applied

Decision making process

Applications will be considered by a panel made up of representatives from Art Fund, the National Gallery, the Courtauld Institute and the Hamilton Kerr Institute. Applicants will be notified following the meeting, which is scheduled to be held on 11 December 2024.

Claim your grant

If your application is successful, we will send you our offer paperwork with more details on how to claim your grant.

© Art Fund 2026. “Art Fund” is the operating name of the National Art Collections Fund, a charity registered in England and Wales (209174) and Scotland (SC038331)