NEWS - JOURNALISM PARTNERSHIPS - COLLABORATIONS

The European Commission is offering a funding opportunity through the Creative Europe Programme, specifically under the call titled "Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations" (CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-COLLABORATIONS). This initiative is aimed at enhancing the sustainability and resilience of the European news media sector, particularly focusing on small media outlets, in response to challenges like declining revenues and threats to media pluralism.

The total budget for this call is 6.9 million EUR, and it operates as a grant program under CREA Project Grants. The application process is single-stage, requiring full proposals to be submitted by February 4, 2026, with the submission window opening on October 23, 2025. This funding opportunity encourages collaborative projects involving transnational partnerships, where at least three partners from three different Creative Europe countries must collaborate.

Eligible applicants include non-profit, public, and private media organizations spanning various platforms such as written press, radio, podcasts, and television, as well as media associations, NGOs, and training organizations. However, individual journalists cannot apply directly unless they are self-employed.

The call prioritizes collaborative transformation within the media landscape, advocating for new business models, audience engagement strategies, innovative technical standards, and collaborative journalistic efforts. Projects can focus on various aspects, including support for training workshops, mentoring programs, the development of editorial and technical standards, and creating platforms for collaborative journalism.

Financial support to third parties is permissible, allowing funds to be allocated for activities such as training, legal advice, or other resources that can aid journalistic collaboration. However, the proposals must adhere to strict editorial independence standards and consider environmental sustainability.

An online information session will be held on November 6, 2025, to guide potential applicants through the funding opportunity and application process. The evaluation of submitted proposals will take place between February and May 2026, with results expected to be communicated in August 2026.

Overall, this funding opportunity aims to foster collaboration in the European news media sector, encouraging projects that address economic challenges, innovate journalistic practices, and maintain the quality and independence of media in the evolving digital landscape.

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation is offering a funding opportunity under the Creative Europe Programme (CREA) called JOURNALISM PARTNERSHIPS (CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART). This call aims to bolster the European news media sector, addressing challenges stemming from the digital shift and declining revenues, which threaten media pluralism and democratic functions. The specific topic, "Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations," seeks to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the news media, particularly small media outlets, through collaborative projects.

The call for proposals CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-COLLABORATIONS is a CREA Project Grant (CREA-PJG) with a budget of 6,900,000 EUR. It follows a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 23 October 2025, and the deadline for applications is 4 February 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. There is also a call for proposals CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-PLURALISM with a budget of 6,900,000 EUR, a single-stage process, opening on 23 October 2025 and closing on 4 February 2026.

Projects should focus on collaborative transformation from business, technological, and production perspectives. Priorities include developing better revenue and monetization models, new audience development approaches, community-building, marketing strategies, common professional/technical standards, innovative newsrooms, syndication networks, and assistance for small media organizations. The goal is to increase efficiency, improve reporting quality through journalistic collaborations, test innovative production methods, and enhance media production standards. Projects can also facilitate the exchange of best practices among journalists and optimize workflows.

Eligible activities encompass events, online training, workshops, exchange programs, mentoring schemes, mapping of best practices, technical standards development, guidelines and editorial standards creation, practical guidebook production, platform development, technical solutions testing, and promotional activities. Sharing best practices across diverse media markets is encouraged, with consideration for activities supporting media sectors lacking digital adaptation resources.

Financial support to third parties is permitted for exchange programs, training, collaborative journalistic projects, legal advice, technical tool acquisition, and events or prizes related to collaboration and innovation. Applicants must define the terms for this support, ensuring a fair and transparent process.

Projects must include concrete deliverables, verifiable performance indicators, and a detailed outreach plan. All projects must adhere to professional media standards, confirmed by a signed Declaration on Standards & Independence. Editorial independence is mandatory for partnerships involving editorial work. Projects should also consider their ecological footprint and propose strategies for a more sustainable media sector.

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) will host an online info session on 6 November 2025, at 11:00 CET to explain the funding opportunity and application process.

Admissibility conditions require adherence to proposal page limits and layouts as described in the call document and Part B of the Application Form. A mandatory Declaration on Standards and Independence from all partners must be included. Eligible countries and other eligibility conditions, as well as financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, are detailed in the call document.

The evaluation process, award criteria, scoring, thresholds, and indicative timeline are also described in the call document. The call was published on 21 October 2025, with a deadline for applications on 4 February 2026. The evaluation will take place from February to May 2026, with information to applicants in August 2026, and grant agreement signature in November 2026. Legal and financial aspects of the grants are described in the call document.

Key documents include the call document, standard application form (CREA MEDIA), Declaration on standards and independence (CREA CROSS JOURPART), CREA Model Grant Agreement (MGA), CREA Annual Work Programmes, CREA Regulation 2021/818, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants. The submission system is scheduled to open on the date specified in the topic header. For non-IT related questions, applicants can contact their local Creative Europe desk or the EACEA. IT helpdesk support is available for technical issues.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to revitalize the European news media sector by fostering collaboration and innovation. It encourages projects that address the economic and technological challenges facing journalism, with a focus on sustainability, editorial independence, and the development of new business models. The call is open to a wide range of activities, including training, exchange programs, and the development of technical tools, all designed to create systemic change and ensure the long-term viability of the European news media landscape.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text, but the call is targeted towards the European news media sector, including small media. Therefore, eligible applicants would likely include news media organizations, journalists, media professionals, and potentially other organizations that can contribute to the sustainability and resilience of the news media sector.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a CREA Project Grant (CREA-PJG). The type of Model Grant Agreement is a CREA Action Grant Budget-Based [CREA-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The call specifies "Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations," and the description emphasizes collaborative projects. Therefore, a consortium of multiple applicants is likely required. The mandatory annex, "Declaration on Standards and Independence (from coordinator and all partners)," further suggests that multiple partners are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call focuses on the European news media sector, suggesting that the geographic eligibility is primarily for entities within the EU. The call mentions "news media across the EU" and encourages sharing of best practices between operators in media markets/countries/regions, reinforcing the EU focus.

Target Sector: The target sector is the news media sector, with a focus on journalism. This includes all news media (sub)sectors and/or genres. The program aims to enhance cooperation, help media adapt to new economic and consumption realities, and instil systemic change.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is not explicitly stated, but the call supports collaborative projects that aim to enhance cooperation, help media adapt to new economic and consumption realities, and instil systemic change. This suggests that the projects should be at least at the development or validation stage, with a clear path towards implementation and impact.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates that for the topic CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-COLLABORATIONS, there is 6,900,000 EUR available in total. The same amount is available for CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-PLURALISM. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text, so the funding range per project is variable but will be drawn from this total budget.

Application Type: The deadline model is single-stage, meaning that applicants submit a full proposal by the deadline. This indicates that the application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. Financial support to third parties is also accepted in projects which foresee exchange programmes for journalists and other media professionals, support to attend trainings or events, support to journalists and media outlets for collaborative journalistic projects, support for legal advice, support for the acquisition, development or maintenance of technical tools for collaborative journalism, support for events in these fields and/or prizes for collaboration or innovation.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This EU funding opportunity, under the Creative Europe Programme (CREA), aims to bolster the European news media sector through "Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations." The call, CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-COLLABORATIONS, seeks to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the news media, including small media outlets, by supporting collaborative projects. These projects should foster cooperation within and between various news media subsectors and genres, helping them adapt to evolving economic and consumption patterns while driving systemic change.

The priorities for funded projects include developing collaborative transformation from business, technological, and production perspectives. This encompasses improving revenue and monetization models, innovating audience development and marketing strategies, establishing common professional and technical standards, creating new types of newsrooms, building syndication networks, and providing assistance to small media organizations. Projects can also focus on increasing efficiency and reporting quality through innovative journalistic collaborations, testing new production methods and formats, and contributing to high-quality media production standards.

Eligible activities are diverse, ranging from events, online trainings, and workshops for media professionals to exchange programs, mentoring schemes, and mapping of best practices. The development of technical standards, guidelines, editorial standards, practical guidebooks, and platforms for exchanging ideas are also encouraged. Furthermore, the call supports promotional activities and other initiatives that aim to uphold the viability of the sector. Sharing best practices between media markets with diverse characteristics is highly encouraged to promote mutual learning.

The call emphasizes the importance of concrete deliverables, objectively verifiable performance indicators, and a detailed outreach plan. All projects must adhere to widely accepted professional media standards, with editorial independence being a key requirement. Additionally, partnerships should consider their ecological footprint and implement strategies for a more sustainable and environmentally respectful media sector.

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) will host an online info session on November 6, 2025, to explain the funding opportunity and application process. The call was published on October 21, 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is February 4, 2026. The evaluation period will run from February to May 2026, with information to applicants provided in August 2026, and grant agreements signed in November 2026.

The total budget for the CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART-COLLABORATIONS topic is 6,900,000 EUR. The application process is single-stage, requiring a comprehensive proposal by the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to use the partner search announcements to form collaborative partnerships. Interested parties can contact their local Creative Europe desk or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency for non-IT related questions.