Efforts to transform the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh have been awarded an additional £2m from the Scottish Government.

The attraction shut in 2008 in order to undergo an extensive refurbishment programme, and the latest funding will go towards the completion of work to restore original features.

Due to reopen on 30 November, the £17.6m Portrait of the Nation project is to provide new education facilities including a multi-purpose teaching suite and a resource centre.

BAM Construction is undertaking the work on behalf of National Galleries Scotland (NGS), which aims to increase visitor numbers by 50 per cent and double the available gallery space.

Scottish culture minister Fiona Hyslop said: "I am pleased to commit this additional support to complete the building work, enabling the National Galleries to move to their next fundraising phase.

"There is no doubt that the revitalised Portrait Gallery will be a major draw for audiences at home to explore the faces that frame Scotland's story."

The funding will come from the Scottish Government's culture capital budget for 2010-11 and follows an initial £5.1m investment announced in 2007.