Overview
European Co-development CREA-MEDIA is a Creative Europe MEDIA call to finance the development of a single audiovisual project (animation, creative documentary or fiction) by consortia of at least two independent production companies established in different MEDIA-participating countries. The 2027 indicative budget is €12.5 million and grants are awarded as lump sums set using a 70% funding rate, with a typical maximum EU contribution of €120,000 for a consortium of two beneficiaries (plus €60,000 per additional beneficiary) and higher ceilings for very high-budget drama series. Applicants must submit mandatory annexes (including a signed co-development agreement and rights documentation) and the coordinator must demonstrate recent internationally distributed production experience; submissions are made only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The call opens 30 September 2026 and the submission deadline is 2 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.
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Highlights
What it funds
Supports the co-development of a single audiovisual project (animation, creative documentary or fiction) intended for cinema, TV or commercial digital/multi-platform exploitation. Grants target development work: creative materials, financing and distribution strategy, casting and other preparatory milestones.
Budget and grant conditions:Total indicative call budget €12,500,000. Grants are awarded as lump sums with a 70% funding rate; maximum EU grant depends on consortium size (standard: €120,000 for 2 eligible beneficiaries + €60,000 per additional beneficiary). For high-budget drama series (production budget >= €20,000,000): €200,000 for 2 beneficiaries + €100,000 per additional beneficiary. Apply by 02 March 2027 17:00 (Brussels time) 1.
Who can apply
Consortia of at least two independent European audiovisual production companies established in MEDIA-participating countries. The coordinator must demonstrate recent experience producing an internationally distributed work (released commercially in at least three countries other than the coordinator’s country since 2020). Organisations must be legally registered and meet ownership/independence rules.
Eligibility highlights
- 1Minimum consortium: 2 independent European production companies from different MEDIA countries (co-development agreement required).
- 2Project types eligible: animation, creative documentary or fiction (including immersive narrative). Minimum durations and format rules apply (see call).
- 3Coordinator eligibility: produced at least one qualifying work with commercial release in at least 3 non-domestic countries since 2020.
- 4Projects must hold majority rights with coordinator or an eligible partner at time of submission; a rights contract must be provided.
- 5Applications must address sustainability, gender balance, inclusion and diversity and propose marketing/distribution strategies.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Call reference | CREA-MEDIA |
| Programme | Creative Europe MEDIA Strand |
| Opening date | 30 September 2026 |
| Deadline | 02 March 2027 17:00 Brussels time |
| Total indicative budget | €12,500,000 |
| Grant form and rate | Lump sum grants; 70% funding rate |
| Max grant (typical) | €120,000 for 2 beneficiaries (+ €60,000 per additional) |
| Max grant (drama series >= €20M) | €200,000 for 2 beneficiaries (+ €100,000 per additional) |
Applications are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the CREA Lump Sum Grant model. Proposals must respect page limits and include mandatory annexes (detailed budget table, creative dossier, co-development agreement, rights contracts, independence and language declarations). Evaluations take place March–July 2027; grant agreements expected November 2027.
Where to apply:Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: European co-development CREA-MEDIA Portal topic 1
Footnotes
- 1Call document and topic page: European co-development CREA-MEDIA on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. See deadline, budget and full eligibility rules at the topic page: ec.europa.eu
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Breakdown
Call identifier:CREA-MEDIA. Programme: Creative Europe (MEDIA strand). Call type: Call for proposals — CREA Lump Sum Grants (CREA-LS) under the CREA Lump Sum Grant Model Grant Agreement (CREA-AG-LS). Call published: 30 September 2026. Submission opening: 30 September 2026. Deadline: 2 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Indicative evaluation: March–July 2027. Information to applicants: August 2027. Grant agreement signature: November 2027. URL: European co-development.
Purpose and scope
Objective:To support cooperation at development stage between independent European audiovisual production companies that co-develop single projects with strong international audience potential. Supported project categories: animation, creative documentary and fiction. Eligible exploitation routes: cinema release, television broadcasting, commercial exploitation on digital platforms or multi-platform exploitation. Projects must be co-developed by at least two independent European production companies and supported by a signed co-development agreement describing division of tasks and creative collaboration.
Expected results and strategic priorities
Key expected outcomes:increased cross-border collaboration at development stage and number of co-productions; improved quality, feasibility and cross-border market potential of selected projects; strengthened position of participating companies on European and international markets; increased international cooperation including collaborations between European and Korean professionals in line with the audiovisual entitlement appended to the EU–Korea Protocol on Cultural Cooperation. The call promotes sustainability, gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness, and encourages marketing and distribution strategies from the outset of development.
Funding and budget
Indicative call budget:€12 500 000 for the topic European co-development (budget year 2027).
Grant form and funding mechanism:Lump sum grants, fixed lump sum based on an estimated project budget and a funding rate of 70% applied to eligible estimated costs. Maximum EU grant amount depends on the number of eligible beneficiaries in the consortium: standard rule — €120 000 maximum for a consortium of two eligible beneficiaries, increasing by €60 000 for each additional eligible beneficiary. Exception for drama series with intended production budgets of €20 000 000 and above: consortium of two eligible beneficiaries maximum €200 000, increasing by €100 000 per additional eligible beneficiary. The grant is a lump sum reimbursement (not linked to actual accounting reimbursement) but estimated budgets must follow eligibility rules and provide reliable proxies for costs.
Who should apply and consortium requirements
Applications must be submitted by a consortium of at least two beneficiaries (not affiliated entities) established in at least two different countries participating fully in the MEDIA Strand. The consortium must include an eligible coordinator and at least one eligible partner. Each applicant must be an independent European audiovisual production company. The coordinator must demonstrate recent experience producing internationally distributed work (one previous work since 2020 with defined release and distribution conditions). Applicants may participate in only one application as coordinator across the four related annual calls (European co-development, European slate development, European mini-slate development and Video games and immersive content development). Applicants may additionally act as partners in other applications.
- 1Eligible applicant types: independent European audiovisual production companies (legal entities, public or private), including SMEs and larger production companies; public bodies and international organisations may participate where allowed by call and MEDIA rules; natural persons are generally not eligible except self-employed with legal personality; affiliated entities may participate under conditions.
- 2Consortium requirement: consortium required, minimum two independent production companies established in at least two different MEDIA participating countries.
- 3Coordinator role: must show recent internationally distributed production experience since 2020 (criteria specified in call document).
Eligibility of countries and ownership rules
Applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities established in eligible countries: EU Member States (including OCTs), EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme, and countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand. Additionally, applicants must be owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand; for publicly listed companies the location of the stock exchange may determine eligibility. The detailed list of MEDIA participating countries and associated countries must be checked in the call document and portal reference documents.
Activities and project stage
Funded activities:co-development of a single project (feature film, animation, creative documentary or fiction) intended for commercial exploitation. Works intended primarily for theatrical release must meet minimum durations (e.g. feature films, animations and creative documentaries a minimum of 60 minutes for cinematic release); fiction series, animation series, creative documentary series have specific duration minimums described in the call. Interactive, immersive narrative projects (e.g. VR) are allowed with no minimum duration. The project submitted must be at development stage with principal photography (or equivalent) scheduled at least 10 months after the submission deadline.
Expected project maturity:development stage towards production (research, script/treatment refinement, crew and cast development, financing strategy, marketing and distribution strategy).
Ineligible works and content
- Live recordings, TV games, talk shows, cooking shows, magazines, reality shows, educational and how-to programmes.
- Documentaries promoting tourism, making-of, reports, animal reportages, news programmes and docu-soaps.
- Pornographic or racist material or works advocating violence.
- Promotional or institutional productions, music videos, video-clips, video games (unless interactive/immersive narrative projects when allowed), e-books, interactive books, student films and graduation works.
Admissibility, documents and submission
Submissions must be made electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Use the Portal application form templates and upload annexes in the required slots. Part B (technical description) is limited to a maximum of 70 pages (font Arial 9, A4), remaining instructions in the application pack must be followed precisely. Required annexes (mandatory): detailed budget table (CREA LSII), Creative Dossier (CREA MEDIA CODEV template), co-development agreement signed by partners, rights contracts/proof of ownership for the submitted project, supporting documents on co-production/distribution/financing (when available), declaration on independence and European ownership (mandatory template), declaration on language of submission documents (mandatory template) and any other documents listed in the call. The submission session for this topic opens 30 September 2026 and the deadline is 2 March 2027 17:00 Brussels time.
Application templates and mandatory annexes:Standard application form (CREA MEDIA) Part A and Part B (Part B uploaded as PDF), detailed budget table (CREA LSII), creative dossier template (CREA MEDIA CODEV), information on independence and ownership control, language of submission template, and Model Grant Agreements (CREA MGA and Lump Sum MGA) are provided in the Submission System and Portal Reference Documents.
Evaluation, award criteria and thresholds
Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Admissibility and eligibility checks are performed first. Eligible proposals are evaluated by experts against award criteria and scored. Overall threshold to be considered for funding: 70 points out of 100. Award criteria and weighting: Relevance (40 points) including level of collaboration, added value of co-development, European dimension and strategies for sustainability, gender balance, inclusion and diversity; Quality of content and activities (20 points) including creative quality and transnational appeal; Project management (25 points) including division of roles, development plan and financing strategy; Dissemination (15 points) including marketing and distribution strategy. Tie-break rules: proposals tied by score are ranked by Relevance then Dissemination then Quality of content.
Grant preparation and checks
Invitation to grant preparation is not a formal commitment. Before signature the Agency will perform legal entity validation, financial capacity checks (where required), exclusion checks and may require further clarifications or adjustments. Depending on the financial capacity assessment the Agency may require additional safeguards (e.g. prefinancing guarantee, phased prefinancing, reduced prefinancing, joint and several liability or no prefinancing). The estimated timeline: evaluation March–July 2027, information to applicants August 2027, grant agreement signature November 2027.
Duration, deliverables and work packages
Project duration should not normally exceed 30 months. Work packages are structured as:WP1 Project management and common activities (mandatory); WP2 Coordinator development activities (mandatory); WP3 Partner 1 development activities (mandatory); WP4 Partner 2 development activities (if more than two applicants). Deliverables include updated creative, financing and marketing materials, updated development documents (treatment, script, visuals), updated key artistic crew/casting, financing and production budgets and schedules, distribution and marketing strategies and interoperability identifiers (e.g. ISAN or EIDR) created before the end of the action period for selected projects.
Financial setup, reporting and payments
Form of grant:lump sum grants. Funding rate used to set the lump sum: 70% of the estimated project budget. The lump sum amount is calculated using the detailed budget table provided during submission and must be a reliable proxy for actual costs. Reporting: continuous reporting via Portal deliverables and periodic reporting as agreed in the grant. Payments: prefinancing (normally 70% of maximum grant amount) and final payment following approval of final periodic report; no interim payments unless foreseen in the Data Sheet. Prefinancing guarantee may be required.
Key administrative, ethical and compliance provisions
Applicants must comply with EU and national law, uphold ethical standards, and avoid content that contravenes the call (pornography, advocacy of violence, racist material). The submission must include declarations on exclusion, independence and ownership control. Applicants must ensure absence of conflicts of interest. Data protection rules apply. Intellectual property provisions and rights of use for the granting authority are detailed in the CREA Model Grant Agreement. Beneficiaries must allow audits, checks and investigations (including by OLAF, EPPO and ECA) and retain records for the time-limits set in the Data Sheet. The call and grant conditions include rules for rejection of costs, grant reduction, suspension and termination in case of non-compliance.
Categorisation and structured answers
The following structured answers summarise the key classification fields requested.
Eligible Applicant Types:Independent European audiovisual production companies (legal entities) including startups and SMEs, large production companies, public or private bodies and international organisations where allowed. Natural persons are not generally eligible (exception: self-employed persons with legal personality). Affiliated entities may participate under defined conditions; associated partners, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions may also be involved.
Funding Type:Grant — Lump sum grant (CREA Lump Sum Grants) with fixed lump sums derived from an estimated budget and a 70% funding rate used to calculate the lump sum amount.
Consortium Requirement:Consortium required. Minimum two independent European production companies established in at least two different MEDIA participating countries. Coordinator plus at least one partner (both beneficiaries, not affiliated entities).
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants must be established in Creative Europe participating countries and specifically in the countries participating fully in the MEDIA Strand: EU Member States, EEA countries and countries associated to Creative Europe. Affiliated ownership must be by nationals from MEDIA participating countries (detailed list in call document). Associated partners may come from non-MEDIA countries (e.g. Korea) but cannot be beneficiaries.
Target Sector:Audiovisual sector: film and TV production (animation, creative documentary, fiction), cross-cutting audiovisual and digital distribution (cinema, television, VOD, multi-platform), immersive narrative projects (VR) and associated creative and distribution activities.
Mentioned Countries:Explicitly referenced: European countries participating fully in the Creative Europe MEDIA Strand (EU and associated countries). The text also explicitly mentions Korea in relation to increased international cooperation under the EU–Korea Protocol on Cultural Cooperation. The call is EU-wide; specific list is in the call document and participant register.
Project Stage:Development stage (script/treatment development, creative development, financing and distribution strategy preparation) with delivery toward production; projects must schedule principal photography or equivalent at least 10 months after deadline.
Funding Amount:Indicative call budget: €12 500 000. Maximum grant per consortium: typically €120 000 for two beneficiaries, + €60 000 per additional beneficiary; for high-budget drama series (≥ €20 000 000 production budget) maximum €200 000 for two beneficiaries and + €100 000 per additional beneficiary. Lump sum determined from detailed budget table and 70% funding rate.
Application Type:Open call — single-stage electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Use provided templates in Submission System. Submission session opens 30 September 2026, deadline 2 March 2027 17:00 Brussels time.
Nature of Support:Monetary support: lump sum grant payments. No financial support to third parties is allowed unless explicitly foreseen in call (for this topic financial support to third parties is NOT allowed). Beneficiaries also receive non-financial services in practice (visibility, networking and Agency support) but primary support is monetary.
Application Stages:Single-stage submission; evaluation and ranking by experts; invitation to grant preparation for successful proposals (one stage for selection + grant preparation stage). Grant preparation includes legal entity validation, financial capacity checks and possible modifications before signature.
Success Rates:Not specified in the call. Success rates depend on quality and number of submissions and available budget (€12.5M). Historically MEDIA development calls are competitive; applicants should assume low to moderate success rates and prepare high-quality, well-documented applications.
Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding is not explicitly required as cash co-financing, but the detailed budget must show reliability and financial viability; applicants must demonstrate operational and financial capacity and present financing strategies. Revenues and other resources may be taken into account; the lump sum calculation must respect the basic eligibility rules.
Application form templates and structure — guidance to applicants
Use the Application Form (CREA MEDIA) Part A (online) and Part B (download template, complete and upload as PDF). Part C additional data is filled online. Mandatory annexes must be uploaded in the correct slots. Detailed guidance and templates are in the Submission System reference documents; follow the Creative Dossier template exactly and respect page and formatting limits.
- 1Application Part A (administrative): fill in organisational and participant data, PIC codes, declarations and summary budget online.
- 2Application Part B (technical): download the CREA MEDIA Part B template from the Submission System, complete the technical description including sections on Relevance, Quality, Project Management, Dissemination, Workplan, Ethics and Declarations. Maximum 70 pages for Part B.
- 3Creative Dossier: use the specific Creative Dossier template (CREATIVE DOSSIER) and include required project documents: logline, synopsis, treatment, visual approach, director’s and/or producer’s notes, script samples, moodboard, concept art for animation, episode outlines for series, plus links to teasers or trailers if available. Respect the page limits per element in the Creative Dossier template.
- 4Detailed budget table: fill in the detailed budget table (CREA LSII) in the Submission System to allow lump sum calculation. This table must be realistic and comply with eligibility rules for actual cost grants.
- 5Co-development agreement: upload the signed co-development agreement between the applicant production companies specifying division of tasks, creative collaboration, budget split, administrative cooperation and risk management.
- 6Proof of rights: rights contracts or proofs of ownership for the project material submitted (or option agreements), dated and signed by the author(s).
- 7Supporting documents: letters of intent, deal memos, co-production contracts, distribution or financing commitments if available.
- 8Declarations: mandatory declaration on independence and European ownership template and declaration on language of submission documents template (use ISO codes for languages).
- 9Other templates: Model Grant Agreement (CREA MGA and Lump Sum MGA) are available for reference in the Portal Reference Documents.
| Document / Template | Purpose and key contents |
|---|---|
| Application Form Part A (online) | Administrative details, participants, summary budget, declarations and legal confirmations |
| Application Form Part B (PDF) | Technical proposal: relevance, quality, management, dissemination, workplan, ethics |
| Creative Dossier (CREA MEDIA CODEV template) | Project creative materials: logline, synopsis, treatment, visual and artistic approach, script extract, director/producer notes, pitches |
| Detailed Budget Table (CREA LSII) | Budget breakdown used to calculate lump sum and to check eligibility and feasibility |
| Co-development agreement | Signed agreement between participating co-developers detailing roles, financial splits and creative collaboration |
| Declaration on independence & ownership | Full ownership structure for independence check and eligibility under MEDIA rules |
| Language declaration | List of document languages (ISO codes) for the evaluation process |
Ensure the creative dossier is complete, follows the exact page limits given by the template (not indicative), and that the Creative Europe MEDIA Database entries for previous and submitted works are provided where required. Incomplete proposals or missing mandatory annexes will be considered inadmissible.
Evaluation and award — criteria details
Award criteria (with point distribution):Relevance (40): level of collaboration on creative aspects (10), added value and partner complementarity (10), European dimension and geographical/linguistic diversity and LCC partner inclusion (10), sustainability and environment strategy (5), gender balance and inclusion strategy (5). Quality of content and activities (20): creative quality (10), potential to reach European/international audiences and transnational appeal (10). Project management (25): roles/responsibilities, administrative cooperation and risk management (5); development plan, schedule and development budget (10); financing strategy and appropriateness of production cost awareness and diversity of funding sources (10). Dissemination (15): early marketing and audience engagement strategy (5); European/international distribution plan and partner awareness (10). Overall threshold: 70/100.
Legal, financial and compliance checks
Legal and financial set-up of grants follows the CREA Model Grant Agreement (CREA MGA) and Lump Sum MGA. The Agency will perform legal entity validation, exclusion checks, and financial capacity checks when needed (coordinators normally checked). Public bodies and organisations with over 50% public funding and projects requesting grants ≤ €60 000 may be exempt from financial capacity checks. Pillar-assessed entities and entities with framework agreements may use their internal control systems under conditions. Prefinancing guarantees may be requested; certificates on financial statements (CFS) can be required depending on thresholds. Records and documents must be kept for statutory retention periods defined in the Data Sheet.
The call documentation, detailed eligibility rules, evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring and thresholds, legal and financial rules, and templates are described in the Call Document and in the Portal Reference Documents Call document Submission portal. 1
Footnotes
- 1Full call documentation, templates and annexes are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu. Consult the Call document, Creative Dossier template, Detailed Budget table (CREA LSII), Information on ownership control and Model Grant Agreements for complete rules and procedures.
Short Summary
Impact Support the co-development of a single audiovisual project to increase cross-border collaboration, improve creative quality and feasibility, and boost international audience reach and market potential. | Impact | Support the co-development of a single audiovisual project to increase cross-border collaboration, improve creative quality and feasibility, and boost international audience reach and market potential. |
Applicant Organisations with proven experience producing internationally distributed audiovisual works and the capacity to manage creative development, financing strategy, marketing/distribution planning and consortium cooperation while addressing sustainability, inclusion and gender balance. | Applicant | Organisations with proven experience producing internationally distributed audiovisual works and the capacity to manage creative development, financing strategy, marketing/distribution planning and consortium cooperation while addressing sustainability, inclusion and gender balance. |
Developments Co-development of animation, creative documentary or fiction projects (including immersive narrative) at development stage—script/treatment refinement, financing and production planning, casting, and early marketing/distribution strategy—for cinema, television or digital/multi-platform exploitation. | Developments | Co-development of animation, creative documentary or fiction projects (including immersive narrative) at development stage—script/treatment refinement, financing and production planning, casting, and early marketing/distribution strategy—for cinema, television or digital/multi-platform exploitation. |
Applicant Type Independent European audiovisual production companies (legal entities, including SMEs and larger production companies). | Applicant Type | Independent European audiovisual production companies (legal entities, including SMEs and larger production companies). |
Consortium A consortium is required:at least two independent production company beneficiaries established in at least two different MEDIA-participating countries with a signed co-development agreement. | Consortium | A consortium is required:at least two independent production company beneficiaries established in at least two different MEDIA-participating countries with a signed co-development agreement. |
Funding Amount Indicative call budget €12,500,000; grants are lump sums at a 70% funding rate—typically €120,000 maximum for a consortium of two beneficiaries plus €60,000 per additional beneficiary (exception for drama series ≥€20,000,000: €200,000 for two + €100,000 per additional); prefinancing normally 70% of the maximum grant. | Funding Amount | Indicative call budget €12,500,000; grants are lump sums at a 70% funding rate—typically €120,000 maximum for a consortium of two beneficiaries plus €60,000 per additional beneficiary (exception for drama series ≥€20,000,000: €200,000 for two + €100,000 per additional); prefinancing normally 70% of the maximum grant. |
Countries Applicants must be established in Creative Europe MEDIA participating countries (EU Member States, EEA countries and associated Creative Europe countries); the call explicitly allows non-MEDIA associated partners (e.g., Korea) to participate but they cannot be beneficiaries. | Countries | Applicants must be established in Creative Europe MEDIA participating countries (EU Member States, EEA countries and associated Creative Europe countries); the call explicitly allows non-MEDIA associated partners (e.g., Korea) to participate but they cannot be beneficiaries. |
Industry Audiovisual sector (Creative Europe MEDIA strand) covering film and TV production, animation, creative documentary and immersive narrative projects. | Industry | Audiovisual sector (Creative Europe MEDIA strand) covering film and TV production, animation, creative documentary and immersive narrative projects. |
Additional Web Data
The 2027 budget is €12.5 million, and applicants may submit only one proposal as coordinator across the related MEDIA development calls.5
What the funding supports
This call supports the development of one audiovisual project by at least two independent European production companies that collaborate on creative and financing aspects from the development stage. Eligible project types are animation, creative documentary or fiction, intended for cinema release, television, digital platforms or a multi platform environment. The call gives priority to projects with strong international audience potential, cross border cooperation, sustainability, gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.
Who can apply
- Applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries and must be independent European audiovisual production companies.
- Each consortium must include at least two beneficiaries, a coordinator and at least one partner, established in at least two different European MEDIA countries and bound by a signed co development agreement.
- The coordinator must show recent experience by proving that it has produced one eligible work since 2020 that was commercially released in at least three countries other than the applicant's country before the deadline, with the required credit role or ownership link.
- Applicants may only act as coordinator for one of the four annual MEDIA development calls, namely European co development, European slate development, European mini slate development or video games and immersive content development.5
- Associated partners from countries outside the MEDIA strand may participate, including Korean partners, but they cannot be beneficiaries and their costs are not eligible.
- Natural persons are generally not eligible, while publicly listed companies can rely on the stock exchange location rule if ownership cannot otherwise be traced to nationals of fully participating MEDIA countries.
Eligible projects and key conditions
- Eligible works are feature films, animation and creative documentaries of at least 60 minutes for cinema, fiction series of at least 90 minutes, animation of at least 24 minutes and creative documentaries of at least 50 minutes for television or digital exploitation, and interactive or immersive projects of any duration.
- The first day of principal photography, or the start of animation, must be scheduled at least 10 months after the submission deadline.
- The coordinator or one eligible partner must hold the majority of rights, and by the deadline there must be a duly dated and signed rights contract covering at least concept, treatment, script or bible. If the project adapts an existing work, adaptation rights must also be secured.
- Projects designed as series must be submitted as series.
- Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
- Projects should normally last no more than 30 months, although extensions can be granted if justified.
- Ineligible content includes live recordings, talk shows, reality shows, educational or how to programmes, tourism documentaries, making of, news, docu soaps, pornographic or racist material, advocacy of violence, promotional or institutional productions, music videos, video clips, video games, e books, interactive books, and student or graduation films.
Funding, budget and payment
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Budget | €12.5 million for 2027.5 |
| Grant form | Lump sum grant |
| Funding rate | 70 percent of the estimated project budget |
| Maximum grant | €120,000 for a consortium of two eligible beneficiaries, plus €60,000 for each additional eligible beneficiary. For drama series with an intended production budget of at least €20 million, the maximum is €200,000 for two eligible beneficiaries plus €100,000 for each additional eligible beneficiary. |
| Prefinancing | Normally 70 percent of the maximum grant, paid after grant signature. No interim payments. |
| Payment recipient | The coordinator receives all payments. |
| Project duration | Normally no more than 30 months |
Submission package and evaluation
- Applications must be submitted online only through the Funding and Tenders Portal.
- Part B is limited to 70 pages and excess pages are ignored.
- Mandatory annexes include the detailed budget table, Creative Europe MEDIA database extract for the work, creative dossier, co development agreement, rights contracts or proof of ownership, and supporting co production, distribution and financing documents where available.
- Applicants must submit the declaration on independence and European ownership and the declaration on language of submission documents.
- The application may be submitted in any official EU language, but the project summary must be in English and English is strongly recommended for the full application.
- Evaluation uses a one stage, one step procedure with award criteria for relevance, quality of content and activities, project management and dissemination.
The maximum score is 100 points, with 40 for relevance, 20 for quality of content and activities, 25 for project management and 15 for dissemination. The overall threshold is 70 points. Proposals above the threshold are ranked for funding within the available budget.
Financial and operational checks
- Financial capacity is normally checked for coordinators, unless they are public bodies, international organisations, entities with more than 50 percent annual revenue from public sources over the last two years, or the requested grant does not exceed €60,000.
- Operational capacity is assessed through the team profiles, consortium description and supporting experience information.
- Applicants must not be subject to bankruptcy, tax or social security breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, exclusion decisions or other EU Financial Regulation exclusion grounds.
- Proposals must comply with EU policy interests and priorities and must not include pornographic or racist material or advocate violence.
Timeline and practical takeaways
The indicative timetable is publication on 30 September 2026, deadline on 2 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, evaluation from March to July 2027, applicant information in August 2027, and grant signature in November 2027. Applicants should prepare the co development agreement, rights documentation, creative dossier, financing and distribution evidence, and ownership declarations early, because eligibility and ownership checks can determine admissibility before award.
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