The Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme is to provide £3.4m of funding for four exhibition spaces at the new Museum of Liverpool.

The investment will support the fit-out of the museum's four galleries as well as the interpretation and exhibits that will fill the space. It will enable the museum to explore the story of Liverpool within the context of the wider region as well as the major national and international themes that have shaped the city. The museum will focus on four main themes - Port City, Creative City, People's City and Global City - and cover 8,000sq m of space across three floors, with visitors having access to more than 6,000 objects.

David Fleming, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: "The museum already looks spectacular from the outside. Now we are planning to make the inside breathtaking too. We are delighted to receive this funding which will go towards the internal fit-out." He added that the museum - due to open next year on the city's waterfront and already in receipt of £5m from the ERDF to assist in the building's construction - is aiming to attract more than 750,000 visitors a year.