Journalism Science Alliance - call 1

The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) is a program funded by the EU's Creative Europe Programme aimed at fostering collaboration between journalists and researchers to produce investigative journalism addressing public interest topics. The initiative offers grant funding, training, mentoring, and networking opportunities, focusing on enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration in investigative journalism backed by scientific research.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes at least one media outlet, which serves as the lead applicant, and one research or academic organization. Freelancers can participate only if supported by a media outlet. The eligible countries for this funding encompass all 27 EU member states and additional non-EU countries including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine.

The total funding available for the first call is approximately one million euros, with grants available in three tiers: €10,000, €20,000, and €50,000, depending on the project scope. The grants can cover various costs pertaining to the research and journalistic activities, including salaries, translation, and travel, but not equipment costs.

The application process is structured as a single-stage open call, with applications opening on June 2, 2025, and closing on August 4, 2025. The selection of successful applications will be conducted by an independent jury made up of distinguished professionals from both journalism and academia. Given the expected high volume of applications, feedback on unsuccessful applications may not be provided.

The duration of funded projects is typically set for an 8-month period, with various key dates outlined, including interim and final reporting deadlines. The JSA aims to increase media pluralism and combat disinformation through quality public interest reporting enriched by scientific expertise, thereby engaging new audiences.

The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) is a program co-funded by the EU's Creative Europe Programme. The JSA provides grant funding, training, mentoring, and networking to promote local, regional, and transnational investigative journalism supported by science and to improve cross-sectoral collaboration between journalism and research institutions. Journalists and scientists will collaborate to uncover new topics of public interest that will reach and engage new audiences for investigative journalism, while serving the public interest across Europe, with the support of training and mentorship provided by the JSA.

The Journalism Science Alliance is managed by a consortium led by NOVA University Lisbon, in partnership with the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

The grants will be open to collaborations involving at least one media outlet and one research/academic organization working on an investigation on a topic of public interest, such as climate change, healthcare, emerging technologies, local governance, etc. The list of examples is not exhaustive. Organizations need to be based in one or more countries that have signed up to the full cross-sectoral strand of the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, which provides core funding for the JSA.

Eligible countries include all 27 EU member states and the following non-EU countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine.

The lead applicant is always a media outlet. The application should be submitted by a journalist associated with that media outlet who will act as the team lead. This can also be a freelancer, as long as they are supported by a media outlet. Individual journalists and/or scientists can be part of the applying teams as long as there are at least two organizations already involved in the application (1 media and 1 research organization), but they cannot be lead applicant. Media, journalists, scientists, and/or research organizations from outside of the Creative Europe participating countries will be able to be part of the applying teams, as long as these already include one media and one research entity that satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Grant funding may be used to cover any costs necessary for the development, completion, and publication of the research and production of journalistic content, including salary and human resource costs, research-related costs, translation, and travel costs. The only exception applies to equipment (hardware) costs, which are not eligible.

Approximately one million euro is allocated for supporting the first round of journalistic projects. Teams can apply for grants of 10,000 euro, 20,000 euro, or 50,000 euro, depending on the scope of their project, the complexity of the proposed investigations, the number of partners involved, the nature of the associated tasks, and the tentative timeline.

The selection of successful applications is done by an independent jury made up of distinguished journalists and scientists. Successful applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application as soon as the independent jury makes its decision. Given the expected high volume of applications, the Consortium reserves the right to not provide individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants. Grants are awarded for a period of 8 months. All funded projects must be finalized no later than the date specified in the grant agreement.

Key Dates:
Call for Applications opens: 2 June 2025
AMA session I: 16 June 2025 (11.00 CEST)
AMA session II: 7 July 2025 (11.00 CEST)
Call for Applications closes: 4 August 2025 (17:00 CEST)
Judging of applications, shortlisting and due diligence checks: September 2025 (date tbd)
Notification winners, signing of agreements, initial grant payments: October 2025 (date tbd)
Grant period: November 2025-June 2026
Interim report grantees: 28 February 2026
Final report grantees: 15 July 2026

General Information:
Opening date: 02 June 2025
Deadline model: single-stage
Deadline date: 04 August 2025 14:00 (Brussels time)
Open For Submission
Expected duration of participation: -
Total funding available: 1,000,000.00 €
Project acronym: JSA
Full name of the EU funded project: Journalism and Science Alliance
Grant agreement number: 101180216
Topic: CREA-CROSS-2024-JOURPART-PLURALISM - NEWS - Journalism Partnerships – Pluralism

In summary, the Journalism Science Alliance (JSA), co-funded by the EU's Creative Europe Programme, offers grants, training, mentoring, and networking to foster investigative journalism that is backed by scientific research. The program aims to strengthen collaboration between journalists and scientists, encouraging them to explore and report on topics of public interest. The grants are available to teams consisting of at least one media outlet and one research institution from eligible countries, which include all EU member states and several non-EU countries. The funding can cover various project-related costs, excluding hardware. The grant amounts range from 10,000 to 50,000 euros, depending on the project's scope and complexity. An independent jury of journalists and scientists will select the winning applications. This initiative seeks to enhance the quality and reach of investigative journalism across Europe by integrating scientific expertise and promoting cross-sectoral partnerships.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are collaborations involving at least one media outlet and one research/academic organization. The lead applicant must be a media outlet, with the application submitted by a journalist associated with that media outlet, who will act as the team lead. Freelance journalists are eligible if supported by a media outlet. Individual journalists and/or scientists can be part of the applying teams as long as there are at least two organizations already involved (1 media and 1 research organization), but they cannot be the lead applicant. Media, journalists, scientists, and/or research organizations from outside of the Creative Europe participating countries can be part of the applying teams, as long as these already include one media and one research entity that satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant. The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) delivers grant funding.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. Collaborations must involve at least one media outlet and one research/academic organization.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible countries include all 27 EU member states and the following non-EU countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine. Organizations need to be based in one or more countries that have signed up to the full cross-sectoral strand of the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, which provides core funding for the JSA.

Target Sector: The program targets investigative journalism backed by science, with a focus on cross-sectoral collaboration between journalism and research institutions. Specific topics of public interest mentioned include climate change, healthcare, emerging technologies, and local governance, but the list is not exhaustive.

Mentioned Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, and all 27 EU member states.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly defined, but it appears to support the development, completion, and publication of research and journalistic content, suggesting projects in the research, development, validation, and potentially commercialization stages.

Funding Amount: Teams can apply for grants of 10,000 euro, 20,000 euro, or 50,000 euro, depending on the scope of their project. Approximately one million euro is allocated for the first round of journalistic projects.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. The call for applications opens on June 2, 2025.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. The grant funding may be used to cover any costs necessary for the development, completion, and publication of the research and production of journalistic content, including salary and human resource costs, research-related costs, translation and travel costs. Equipment (hardware) costs are not eligible. Training, mentoring, and networking opportunities are also provided.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be a single-stage process, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the text notes that the consortium reserves the right to not provide individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants, given the expected high volume of applications. This suggests that the success rate may be relatively low.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) is an EU-funded program under the Creative Europe Programme that aims to foster collaboration between journalists and scientists to produce investigative journalism on topics of public interest. This first call allocates approximately one million euro to support journalistic projects. Teams consisting of at least one media outlet and one research/academic organization can apply for grants of 10,000, 20,000, or 50,000 euro. The lead applicant must be a media outlet based in one of the eligible countries, which include all 27 EU member states, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine. The funding can cover costs related to research, salaries, translation, and travel, but not equipment. The call opens on June 2, 2025, and closes on August 4, 2025. The selection process involves an independent jury of journalists and scientists. Successful projects will have a duration of 8 months. The JSA also provides training, mentoring, and networking opportunities to grantees. The program seeks to uncover new topics of public interest and engage new audiences for investigative journalism across Europe.