The Fund's multi-million announcement gives the green-light for the development of a swathe of online learning resources across the four nations, converting a wealth of UK achievement and heritage across science, culture and social diversity into digital format.

Through the Digitisation awards by the Fund, people in every walk of life in communities across the UK will be able to connect to almost limitless gigabytes of resources ranging from the treasure-store collections of leading museums, galleries and libraries to priceless archives of film and the arts. The funding will help give people access to the full tapestry of UK society, past and present, including skills and health sites, and even allowing people take virtual walks through local and national heritage locations.

The Fund's Digitisation Awards for the creation of web content will allow individuals, groups, schools and library-users to link up to the new wave of Internet facilities. UKonline learning centres and public libraries supported by the New Opportunities Fund's Community Access to Lifelong Learning programme and its People's Network funding programme, totalling £300 million (see Editor's Notes p.4), are already improving equality of access to online learning resources.

Over the coming months, organisations large and small will use the awards to make their contribution to a bank of Internet learning resources encompassing the breadth of life in the UK. The Fund has encouraged the development of a consortium approach, so that many awards are going to partnerships working together on themed content.

Among the schemes given the green light today are major partnership projects on archaeology, citizenship across the ages, science, invention and nature. There is a wealth of material covering film and newsreel, music, art, environment, and genealogy. Other projects will provide advice, and skills development, and 'sense of place' sites focusing on local identity and achievements and resources.

A consortium led by the Science Museum in London is among the awards announced today at the museum by the Fund's Chair, Baroness Jill Pitkeathley:

"The New Opportunities Fund Digitisation awards will fuel the learning revolution for millions of people across the UK. They will also play a role globally in showing the richness and diversity of our society and exemplify what can be achieved by working in partnership."

She added: "Whether you live in a former coalfield community in Wales, a rural area in Scotland or Northern Ireland, or an urban centre in England, the New Opportunities Fund programme will ensure that a wide range of national, regional and local knowledge is at your fingertips. These projects will become passports to online learning and schools of excellence."

Minister of State for the Arts, Baroness Blackstone, welcomed the announcement:
"The combination of high quality content and innovative technology represented by the Digitisation awards is very impressive. Good learning materials must be available to Internet users, including those taking advantage of the UK online Learning Centre facilities. These are being installed in public libraries and elsewhere through the New Opportunities Fund's Community Access to Lifelong Learning Programme.

"The Fund's Digitisation programme will help to generate an invaluable information bank, spanning arts and culture, community information and materials to support basic skills."

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Fund, said:

"Through the Fund's family of learning programmes, we have been able to play our part in extending access to information and communications technology (ICT), complementing other strategies aimed at closing the gap between the haves and have-nots of the computer age, and opening up resources to those with special needs."

He added: "The Fund's programme for Community Access to Lifelong Learning is ensuring the success of 'drop-in' local computer centres with grants to help the centres provide an open-door for the computer 'have-nots'. Through the People's Network, libraries across the country are getting the computer capacity and know-how to give people opportunities for lifelong learning.

These funding programmes are already connecting up communities to the tremendous potential of computers and the Internet by delivering the computer hardware, access and training. Now it is time to begin delivering this virtual resource bank of content people can reach into and improve and enrich their learning journey."

The Director of the Science Museum, Lindsay Sharp, said: "The hosting of the awards announcement at the Science Museum is very significant for us. We are delighted that the consortium we have led on Science, Invention and Nature is sharing in today's awards. This programme and our award within it, will provide an opportunity for the UK and the Science Museum to be at the forefront of the learning revolution in the 21st century."

Lord Evans, Chairman of Resource, The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, welcomed the announcement of the Fund's Digitisation grants: "This is a key moment for the People's Network project as it secures a flow of rich and imaginative electronic learning materials for UK public libraries reflecting our cultural heritage and community wealth and diversity. I congratulate all recipients. Resource is pleased to have been able to contribute its knowledge of the information sector and technical expertise to the assessment process and looks forward to a continuing partnership as the programme develops."

Notes to Editors:
1. The £50 million nof-digitise programme was launched in August 1999 to put information that supports lifelong learning into digitised form. Details on www.nof-digitise.org . It supports the digitisation of material in three areas:
Citizenship in a modern state: This covers information that helps people to access services, including information on rights and obligations and how to be effective in dealing with different organisations.
Cultural enrichment: Material that reflects the heritage of a community, region or a country, or embodies an aspect of identity. It will also include different forms of art such as fine or performing arts, design or media.
Reskilling the nation: Including helping people to enhance basic literacy skills to improving understanding of other forms of information such as science, health and IT.

2. About the New Opportunities Fund:
The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. We intend to support sustainable projects that will:

• Improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK
• Address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society
• Encourage community participation
• Complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes.

3. New Opportunities Fund Complementary Programmes Across the UK

Community Access to Lifelong Learning - £200 Million
To help close the gap between the computer haves and the have nots. It will enable many more adults to access ICT learning opportunities. The programme will support the development and running of a network of learning centres (ICT) with online computer access to information and community resources. £100m has been set apart for the People's Network which is putting computer technology into public libraries. The People's Network is a comprehensive programme of public ICT provision co-ordinated by Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, a strategic agency working with museums, archives and libraries. Resource has three main objectives, to provide strategy, advocacy and advice.

The organisation undertakes work in all three of these areas to improve the context in which museums, archives and libraries operate and to improve services for users and potential users. Resource provides expert advice and guidance on the development and implementation of the New Opportunities Fund Digitisation of Learning Materials Programme as part of its work with the Fund on the management of the People's Network project. For further information on Resource visit the website at www·resource·gov·uk or contact Emma Wright, Press Officer, on 020 7273 1459.

Out of School Hours Learning - £205 Million
Is available to create and develop regular out of school hours learning activities involving half of all secondary and special schools and a quarter of all primary schools around the school day, weekends and in the holidays. £25 million has been specifically dedicated to creating new summer school places for 250,000 pupils. The Fund gives priority to projects which address the needs of the most disadvantaged pupils. The programme is closed for applications except for summer schools which are due in by 3 September 2001.

ICT Training

• £230 million for ICT training for teachers and school librarians
• £20 million for ICT training for public library staff