Michelin Corporate Foundation becomes V&A Museum of Design founding partner

Michelin Corporate Foundation has been announced as a corporate founding partner in the development of the V&A Museum of Design Dundee. The V&A Museum will be the first in the UK outside of London, and is part of a wider £1 billion regeneration scheme for the city. Due for completion in 2018, the foundation will support both its initial and ongoing development with a significant investment. A gallery within V&A Dundee will take on the Michelin name for a term of 25 years. Michelin has strong ties to Dundee; its tyre plant on Baldovie Road is the city’s largest employer. The French manufacturer committed to an investment of £52 million to modernise the plant in 2015, and was recently visited by the Queen.

The ‘Michelin Design Gallery’ will showcase the achievements of V&A Dundee’s learning and innovation programme, aimed at families, schools, community groups, adults, children, businesses and creative professionals alike. Additionally, a dedicated Michelin mentoring programme will be put in place, offering its staff the opportunity to be directly involved with the museum and its learning programmes, as well as providing a platform to share their own knowledge and skills.

Philippe Legrez, Michelin Corporate Foundation director, said: “Dundee is going through a renaissance with this huge regeneration project, and the addition of V&A Dundee will prove an important asset in transforming the area and providing jobs. It will also provide a great space for the community, attracting tourism to the city and boosting the local economy. “

Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee added: “Michelin Corporate Foundation and V&A Dundee now have the opportunity to create an exceptional partnership, which brings two innovative and creative organisations together to increase the understanding of design and how it can enrich everybody’s lives. Michelin Corporate Foundation’s support for this project will form an essential part of the development and ongoing success of the new museum, and the opportunities it can offer across communities. We are very grateful indeed to the Foundation and look forward to working together over the coming years.”

It is estimated that the museum will attract 350,000 visitors a year and, as part of the wider waterfront development, will attract an additional £11 million per annum to the economy of the Scottish city.