Open Call for Partnership: Strategic Topic Groups 2025

The EIT Culture & Creativity is launching an Open Call for Partnership focused on Strategic Topic Groups for 2025, aiming to support projects within the culture and creativity sectors. The total funding available amounts to €480,000, distributed among selected proposals, with the application period set from September 12, 2025, to October 13, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. This is a single-stage application process requiring eligible applicants to be Core or Cooperation Partners of the EIT Culture & Creativity for 2025, holding a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC).

Each consortium for this opportunity must consist of at least two partners who possess valid membership in the EIT Culture & Creativity framework, emphasizing collaboration across various sectors including education, research, and the arts. Projects are expected to focus on eight strategic areas: Architecture, Audiovisual, Cultural Heritage, Digital Futures, Fashion, Gaming, and themes within the New European Bauhaus. The initiative encourages innovative policy development and strategic insights rather than traditional research output.

The funding mechanism is a grant, and applicants do not have to provide co-funding; however, proposals including voluntary co-funding will be viewed favorably during evaluations. The proposal evaluation process consists of admissibility and eligibility checks followed by a quality assessment based on three criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality & Efficiency of Implementation. Proposals must achieve a minimum threshold in each category to be eligible for funding.

Successful projects will engage in a 9-month collaborative period, emphasizing stakeholder engagement through workshops and knowledge activation efforts, ultimately contributing to the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership's future strategic planning. Proposals that pass the assessments may be placed on a reserve list if they are not funded due to budget constraints. Further details and updates are available on the EIT Culture & Creativity's official platforms and communication channels.

The EIT Culture & Creativity is offering an Open Call for Partnership: Strategic Topic Groups 2025. This call falls under the EIT Culture & Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025, with the project acronym EIT CC - BP2024-2025 and the full name of the EU funded project being EIT Culture & Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025. The grant agreement number is 101159520. The topic is HORIZON-EIT-2024-2025-KIC-CCSI - Culture and Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025.

The opening date for submissions is 12 September 2025, and the deadline for submission is 13 October 2025 at 17:00 (Brussels time). This is a single-stage deadline model. The expected duration of participation is 9 months. The total funding available is 480,000.00 €.

The submission process requires applicants to submit their proposals exclusively through the designated online application form available on the EIT Culture & Creativity platform. All proposals must be submitted before the deadline to be considered for evaluation, and late submissions will not be accepted. Applicants are requested to fill in the “Expression of Interest” form to receive the password to access the submission form. Only eligible lead partners can receive the password. Links are provided for both the Expression of Interest and the Submission.

Each proposal will undergo an admissibility and eligibility check to ensure compliance with the call’s basic requirements.

The admissibility criteria are:
The proposal and all its attachments must be written entirely in English.
The proposal must be submitted by the specified deadline.
The proposal must be submitted through the designated application platform.
The proposal must include all required documents, completed form sections, and annexes.
The proposal must clearly include the three mandatory Work Packages (see Section 4.3 of the Call Guidelines) and the mandatory Deliverables (see Section 4.4) in its work plan. Proposals missing any of these elements will be considered inadmissible.

The eligibility criteria are:
Applicants must have a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC number).
Applicants must be members of the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership in 2025 holding the status of Core or Cooperation Partner only.
The partnership membership must be valid for 2025, i.e., the membership fee has been paid.
Applicants and consortium members must comply with the applicant requirements as specified in the Call Guidelines.
There is no requirement for co-funding, although it will be positively assessed.
No specific EIT KPIs are directly applicable. However, the outputs of the call contribute indirectly to the EIT Impact Framework through policy insights, strategic positioning, and knowledge activation.

Only proposals meeting both admissibility and eligibility criteria will proceed to the evaluation stage.

All proposals that pass the admissibility and eligibility checks will undergo a quality evaluation conducted by two independent External Experts and one Internal Expert against three criteria groups:
Excellence: Expertise & knowledge development
Impact: Societal & financial impact for the future
Quality & Efficiency of Implementation

Each group of criteria has a maximum possible score and an associated threshold of 60%. Proposals must meet or exceed this threshold for each group to proceed to the next stage.

The final score of a proposal will be the simple arithmetic mean of the individual scores provided by all evaluators. Financial support will be awarded in strict ranking order based on the final scores, until the total EIT Culture & Creativity financial support budget is reached. The top-ranked proposals (up to eight, one per strategic topic) will be selected for EIT Culture & Creativity financial support. Proposals that pass all thresholds but are not selected due to budget limitations will be placed on a reserve list. The final financial support decisions for reserve list proposals will be communicated within a timeframe that allows for proper project implementation.

Applicants will be informed of the evaluation outcome via the official EIT Culture & Creativity communication channels. Further information can be found on the EIT website under the Open Call for Partnership: Strategic Topic Group.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for partnerships within the EIT Culture & Creativity initiative, focusing on strategic topic groups for the 2024-2025 business plan. The call aims to support projects that contribute to expertise and knowledge development, societal and financial impact, and efficient implementation within the culture and creativity sectors. The application process involves a single-stage submission, followed by admissibility, eligibility, and quality evaluations. Successful proposals will receive financial support based on their ranking, with top-ranked proposals being selected and others placed on a reserve list. The call encourages participation from members of the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership and emphasizes the importance of clear and comprehensive proposals that meet specific requirements outlined in the call guidelines.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are members of the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership in 2025 holding the status of Core or Cooperation Partner only. Applicants and consortium members must comply with the applicant requirements as specified in the Call Guidelines. Applicants must have a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC number). Only eligible lead partners can receive the password to access the submission form.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically cascade funding. Financial support will be awarded in strict ranking order based on the final scores, until the total EIT Culture & Creativity financial support budget is reached.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity mentions "applicants and consortium members," suggesting that a consortium is possible, but it is not explicitly stated whether a single applicant is also allowed. The requirement for eligible lead partners to receive the password to access the submission form suggests that a consortium with a lead partner is likely the intended structure.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The text does not explicitly state geographic eligibility. However, given that it is an EIT (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) Culture & Creativity initiative, it is highly likely that the beneficiary scope is within the EU or countries associated with the EIT.

Target Sector: The target sector is Culture and Creativity. The topic is "HORIZON-EIT-2024-2025-KIC-CCSI - Culture and Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025".

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The opportunity is from the EIT Culture & Creativity, suggesting a focus on the European Union.

Project Stage: The opportunity targets the development and implementation of a business plan, suggesting a project stage geared towards planning and strategic positioning, potentially including validation and demonstration aspects within the scope of the business plan.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is 480,000.00 €. The top-ranked proposals (up to eight, one per strategic topic) will be selected for EIT Culture & Creativity financial support. This suggests that the funding will be divided among multiple projects, with each project receiving a portion of the total 480,000.00 €.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. Applicants must submit their proposals exclusively through the designated online application form.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. Financial support will be awarded to the selected projects.

Application Stages: There are five application stages: 1. Proposal Submission, 2. Admissibility and Eligibility Check, 3. Quality Evaluation Process, 4. Ranking, Selection & Reserve List, 5. Communication of Results.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly mentioned. However, the text states that the top-ranked proposals (up to eight, one per strategic topic) will be selected, and proposals that pass all thresholds but are not selected due to budget limitations will be placed on a reserve list. This indicates that the success rate is likely below 10%, as only a small number of proposals will be funded out of all submissions that meet the eligibility and quality criteria.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no requirement for co-funding, although it will be positively assessed.

Summary:

This opportunity is an open call for partnership under the EIT Culture & Creativity initiative, specifically targeting the Business Plan 2024-2025. The call aims to support projects within the culture and creativity sectors. The total funding available is 480,000 €, which will be distributed among the top-ranked proposals, with a maximum of eight projects being selected, one per strategic topic. The application process involves five stages, including submission, eligibility check, quality evaluation, ranking, and communication of results. Eligible applicants must be members of the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership with Core or Cooperation Partner status and possess a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC). While co-funding is not mandatory, it is viewed favorably during the evaluation process. The call is relevant for organizations involved in culture and creativity that are looking to develop and implement strategic business plans. The deadline for submission is October 13, 2025. Applicants must first fill in an Expression of Interest form to receive the password to access the submission form. The evaluation process involves assessment by both internal and external experts based on excellence, impact, and quality of implementation.