AI4Creatives Support Platform: embracing a fair AI revolution

The grant opportunity titled "AI4Creatives Support Platform: embracing a fair AI revolution" falls under the Horizon Europe framework, specifically aimed at establishing a European virtual AI support platform for the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI). This initiative aims to empower cultural and creative entities to leverage artificial intelligence responsibly, enhancing their innovation and competitiveness.

The opportunity is categorized as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) using a Lump Sum Grant model, with an indicative budget of €5 million for 2027, aimed at funding one project with expected contributions between €4.5 million and €5 million. The call is scheduled to open on May 13, 2027, with a submission deadline of September 23, 2027.

Eligible participants are diverse, including research institutions, universities, cultural organizations, technology providers, and SMEs within the CCSI. The project is expected to produce a fully operational virtual support platform that facilitates networking, resource sharing, and capacity building among various stakeholders, including artists, creative companies, AI tech firms, researchers, and policymakers.

Key objectives of the platform include:

1. Establishing a centralized hub for collaboration and support for CCSI networks.
2. Providing tailored resources such as training, tools, and ethical frameworks for AI integration in cultural processes.
3. Addressing challenges like skill gaps, ethical AI standards, copyright, and access to quality data to enhance the use of AI in cultural sectors.

The proposal process will involve a single-stage evaluation by independent panels, emphasizing the quality and completeness of submitted applications. While no explicit co-funding requirement is mentioned, applicants may need to demonstrate a sustainable financial model for long-term operation beyond EU funding.

The project aims to drive cultural diversity and innovation within the EU, ensuring that AI developments consider ethical principles and serve a broad range of stakeholders in the CCSI landscape.

This EU grant opportunity, titled "AI4Creatives Support Platform: embracing a fair AI revolution," aims to establish a European virtual AI support platform dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI). This platform will serve as a central hub to foster collaboration, provide resources, and promote the ethical integration of AI within the CCSI landscape.

The program falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) framework, specifically within the "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society" call for 2027 (HORIZON-CL2-2027-01). The action type is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

The call follows a single-stage deadline model, with a planned opening date of May 13, 2027, and a deadline of September 23, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are:

1.  Establishment of a dedicated European virtual AI support platform for CCSI. This platform will foster collaboration among CCSI networks, professionals, researchers, AI tech companies, creative startups, ethical AI experts, and rights management infrastructures.
2.  The AI4Creatives Support Platform will provide easy access to shared services, expertise, capacity building, training, and tools needed to design, develop, and adopt AI solutions tailored to cultural and creative processes and needs, enhancing innovation and competitiveness.
3.  The platform will enable the development and sharing of AI applications that adhere to EU values, principles, and regulations, implementing transparency, ethical standards, promoting cultural diversity, addressing biases, and ensuring equitable access to culture and creativity.

The scope of the projects should address the following:

1.  Coordination, support, dissemination, and capitalization of relevant outcomes from Horizon Europe Cluster 2-funded projects aimed at equipping CCSI to leverage digital transformation.
2.  Synergies with other relevant Horizon Europe projects and initiatives exploring AI in relation to CCSI under other EU programs, such as the AI Continent Action Plan, AI Innovation package, and others.
3.  Maximizing the impact of AI on CCSI while addressing challenges such as skill gaps, limited interaction with technology partners, structural weaknesses of CCSI (mostly small and micro enterprises), and limited resources to train dedicated AI models.
4.  Addressing challenges related to AI ethics, transparency, and intellectual property rights, including copyright.
5.  Establishing a permanent, networked reference point for CCSI through a virtual support platform that builds capacity and facilitates networking and collaboration among CCSI, stakeholders, researchers, technology developers, AI ethicists, and other industries and startups.
6.  Enabling artists, cultural professionals, creative companies, and cultural organizations to engage with AI, including dealing with biases and risks.
7.  Providing access to custom-made tools, quality data, resources, knowledge, training, and AI applications aligned with the specific needs of CCSI and with EU principles and regulations.
8.  Disseminating or developing frameworks, standards, best practices, and toolkits for integrating ethical AI into CCSI value chains.
9.  Facilitating cross-sector collaboration, synergies, and partnerships between CCSI professionals, AI tech companies, and startups, liaising with initiatives like the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH), AI Factories, research infrastructures on cultural heritage and digital humanities, European Digital Innovation Hubs, ALT EDIC and LLMs4EU, Common European Data Space for Cultural heritage and other data spaces, and other EU initiatives in this area.
10. Building and developing a solid copyright infrastructure to support the use and licensing of copyright-protected content in the context of AI.
11. Suggesting education and training frameworks and providing training to foster effective AI use in CCSI.
12. Encouraging CCSI and SMEs to engage with available federated data sources, digital infrastructures, computational resources, and other available platforms to develop their own AI-powered products and services.
13. Developing a roadmap for emerging challenges in AI and other emerging technologies related to culture and creativity.
14. Engaging in policy dialogues with policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to emphasize culture's contribution to quality, ethical, and fair AI developments.
15. Developing and operating the platform based on a robust sustainability and business model, ensuring long-term viability beyond the initial project phase.
16. Ensuring the business model aligns with the platform’s objectives, remains accessible to diverse organizations, and prevents funding domination by special interest groups.
17. Liaising with the EIT KIC Culture and Creativity to establish synergies, exchange information, and enhance mutual outcomes and impact.
18. Building on Horizon Europe funded projects in the area of AI and CCSI, particularly those funded under topics HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-04, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-03, and HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-04, and establishing synergies with relevant projects and initiatives supported by other relevant EU programs, such as Digital Europe, Creative Europe, and their successors.
19. Conducting a pilot of the virtual platform to ensure alignment with CCSI needs, assessing technical and operational feasibility to ensure sustainability over time.
20. Ensuring the virtual Support Platform is fully operational by the project's conclusion.

General conditions for participation include:

1.  Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
2.  Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3.  Other Eligible Conditions: Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4.  Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5.  Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6.  Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
7.  Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
8.  Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, with additional details in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

1.  Application form templates are available in the Submission System, utilizing the Standard application form (HE CSA).
2.  Evaluation form templates, specifically the Standard evaluation form (HE CSA), will be used with necessary adaptations.
3.  Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
4.  The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is the Lump Sum MGA.
5.  Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table (HE LS) are available, along with guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include:

1.  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
2.  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
3.  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
4.  HE Programme Guide
5.  HE Framework Programme 2021/695
6.  HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
7.  EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
8.  Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
9.  Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
10. EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
11. Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
12. Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
13. Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview for the call in 2027 includes various topics related to Democracy, Heritage, and Transformation, with opening dates on May 13, 2027, and deadlines on September 23, 2027. The contributions and indicative number of grants vary per topic. The specific topic, HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-02, has a budget of 5,000,000 EUR and aims to award one grant with contributions ranging from 4,500,000 to 5,000,000 EUR.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

This funding opportunity is designed to create a robust and sustainable AI support ecosystem for the European cultural and creative sectors. It seeks to address the challenges and harness the opportunities presented by AI, ensuring that its integration into the CCSI landscape is ethical, transparent, and beneficial for all stakeholders, particularly artists, cultural professionals, and SMEs. The initiative aims to establish a virtual platform that not only provides access to essential resources and training but also fosters collaboration and innovation, ultimately driving the competitiveness and cultural diversity of the European CCSI. The emphasis on a sustainable business model ensures the platform's long-term viability and accessibility, preventing it from being dominated by special interest groups and aligning with EU values and regulations.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the context of Horizon Europe Cluster 2 calls, eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and other relevant stakeholders in the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI). The call specifically mentions artists, cultural professionals, creative companies, and cultural organizations as potential beneficiaries, suggesting they are also eligible applicants.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA). The grant agreement type is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, given the scope of the project, which involves coordination, support, and networking across various stakeholders, a consortium is highly probable. The call aims to establish a networked reference point, which typically requires a consortium of multiple organizations to ensure comprehensive coverage and expertise.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is primarily focused on EU member states and associated countries, as indicated by the general conditions referring to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The text also mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI), with a specific focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for creativity-driven innovation, competitiveness, and ethical AI development. This includes heritage, digital transformation, AI ethics, copyright, and related technologies.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity is targeted towards EU member states and associated countries. The call also mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily focused on development, validation, and demonstration. The call aims to establish a virtual support platform that is fully operational by the project's conclusion, implying that the project should move from the development phase to a pilot phase and finally to operational deployment.

Funding Amount: The topic budget for HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-02 is EUR 5,000,000. The contributions are expected to be between EUR 4,500,000 and EUR 5,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "Deadline model: single-stage" in the general information.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to support the coordination and support actions necessary to establish and operate the AI4Creatives Support Platform.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, as indicated by "Deadline model: single-stage".

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text. However, the indicative number of grants (1) and the topic budget (EUR 5,000,000) suggest that the competition for this specific topic will likely be high.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe grants often encourage or require some form of co-funding, which would be detailed in the specific call documents and the Model Grant Agreement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-02, aims to establish a European virtual AI support platform dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI). The goal is to empower CCSI to leverage the digital transformation by providing access to AI tools, quality data, resources, knowledge, and training, all while adhering to EU values, principles, and regulations. The project should foster collaboration among CCSI professionals, AI tech companies, researchers, and other stakeholders to drive innovation, competitiveness, and ethical AI development. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. The project is expected to build upon existing Horizon Europe projects and other EU initiatives, conduct a pilot of the virtual platform, and ensure its sustainability through a robust business model. The call targets a wide range of organizations, including universities, research institutes, SMEs, and cultural organizations, to create a permanent, networked reference point for CCSI in the age of AI.