Innovative Tools and Business Models (CREA-MEDIA-2026-INNOVBUSMOD)
Opening Date30/09/2025
Deadline Date15/01/2026
Submission LanguageEnglish
Maximum ValueNo limit
Percentage of Financing80%
StatusClosed
StatusClosed
Who
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- Creative Europe Participating Countries:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature
- Creative Europe Participating Countries:
- be established in one of the countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe Programme and be owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. When a company is publicly listed companies, the location of the stock exchange will in principle determine its nationality.
Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register — before submitting the proposal — and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, they will be requested to upload documents showing legal status and origin.
Consortium composition
Applications by single applicants are allowed (single beneficiaries), as well as proposals submitted by a consortium of at least 2 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities.
Eligibility
Description of the activities to be funded
The projects can include in particular:
- Subtitling or accessibility/discoverability/recommendation tools to be widely used across borders and across platforms in order to improve the visibility, the availability and the audience potential of European audiovisual works;
- Business tools improving the efficiency and the transparency of the audiovisual markets: automated rights management system, technology for data gathering and analysis;
- Business models seeking to optimise the synergies and complementarities between the distribution platforms (festivals, cinemas, VOD…);
- Business tools exploring new modes of production, financing, distribution or promotion enabled or enhanced by new technology (AI, big data, blockchain, Virtual worlds / Metaverse, NFT, etc.);
- Innovative tools and business models improving the greening process of the audiovisual industry.
The action does not cover the development of hardware (e.g. cameras, virtual headsets...).
Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.
Transparency plays a key role in the action. Therefore, applications should contain plans for the disclosure of the inputs and results of the action, including among others communicating the results to public authorities, Member States and the audiovisual industry.
Special emphasis will also be placed on attracting private investment and on own investment. Project’s ability to apply for a sound and reasonable level of EU public funding below the 80% authorised will be assessed.
What
Objective
The Innovative tools and business models action is aimed at encouraging the development and/or the spread of innovative tools and business models to improve the visibility, availability, audience and diversity of European works in the digital age and/or the competitiveness and/or the greening process of the European audiovisual industry.
Expected results
- Improve the competitiveness of the European audiovisual industry and seize the benefits of the innovative developments in technology and business models;
- Improve the adaptation of the European audiovisual industry to the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence and the development of virtual worlds (also called Metaverse(s));
- Improve the greening process of the European audiovisual industry;
- Improve the production and circulation of European audiovisual works in the digital era;
- Increase the number and diversity of European works available online and increase their visibility in order to allow them to reach more audiences.
Funding
- The available call budget is 10.500.000,00 €.
- Project budget (maximum grant amount): No limit.
- The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement (80%).
- Projects should not normally exceed 36 months.
Documents
Organisation: EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA) - Creative Europe Programme (CREA)
Click here for more information, application and contacts.
