Skills-based CPD courses

EIT Culture & Creativity (Horizon Europe) invites legal entities established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries to apply for grants up to €75,000 per project from an indicative call budget of €600,000 to develop short, skills-based CPD courses for the audio-visual media sector. Priority strands are intellectual property, artificial intelligence and digital storytelling, with courses required to be primarily asynchronous online in English and include measurable learning outcomes and assessment strategies. Projects may be mono-beneficiary or consortia and must be implemented over 12 months starting January 2027; applications must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 14 September 2026, 17:00 CEST. Applicants must use the official application templates including a budget plan and Gantt chart and be prepared to demonstrate pedagogical and delivery capacity and address ethics and digital sovereignty considerations.

What it funds

Focus and scope

Specialised, short, skills-based Continuous Professional Development courses for the audio-visual media sector. Priority strands: intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and digital storytelling. Courses must be granular, outcome-oriented, primarily asynchronous online in English, practice-focused and include measurable learning outcomes and assessment strategies.

Grant size and programme budget:Selected projects receive up to €75,000 each. Indicative call budget: €600,000. Project duration: 12 months (Jan 2027–Dec 2027). ¹

1. 1Eligible applicants: legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries; mono- or multi-beneficiary applications accepted
2. 2Submission window: 20 July 2026 to 14 September 2026, 17:00 CEST (Berlin time)
3. 3Application materials: application form, budget plan and EIT Culture & Creativity funding template, Gantt chart with timeline and work packages
4. 4Evaluation: admissibility/eligibility check, external quality review by three independent experts, internal portfolio selection; results expected end of November 2026

Apply through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. An online information session is scheduled for 30/07/2026; registration required. Questions may be sent via the EIT Culture & Creativity contact form. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Source and full call details: EITCULTURE Business Plan 2026 available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call page.

Call summary and objectives

This competitive call supports specialised skills-based Continuous Professional Development courses for the Audio-visual media sector. The courses are intended to have immediate career impact for participants by improving professional skills, opening job opportunities, and triggering innovation within their organisations. The call targets three strategic strands: intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and digital storytelling. Projects must deliver shorter, granular, outcome-oriented courses primarily for asynchronous online delivery in English, with a practice-oriented pedagogy that fosters critical reflection on technological ethics and digital sovereignty. Selected projects will receive an EIT grant of up to €75 000 per project for activities running over 12 months from January 2027 to December 2027.

Eligible Applicant Types:Legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries. The text explicitly allows mono-beneficiary (single legal entity) and multi-beneficiary applications. Typical eligible applicant types that align with the call text include universities, research institutes, SMEs, start-ups, larger enterprises, cultural and creative industry organisations, non-profit organisations, training providers, professional associations, and other legal entities involved in AVM sector skills development. The call’s wording requires legal entity status, so natural persons or individuals acting alone are not eligible unless legally constituted as an entity.

Funding Type:Grant. The call provides EIT grants awarded as part of the EIT Culture & Creativity 2026 business plan. The document specifies an EIT grant up to €75 000 per project and overall program budget information for the business plan.

Consortium Requirement:Single or consortium. The call accepts both mono-beneficiary and multi-beneficiary applications. Applicants may submit as a single legal entity or as a consortium of multiple legal entities, depending on project design and capacity to deliver learning outcomes and assessments. The evaluation and selection process will assess Knowledge Triangle Integration and portfolio fit for multi-beneficiary proposals where relevant.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Eligibility is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated countries. The call text does not list specific non-EU third countries as eligible beneficiaries.

Target Sector:Audio-visual media sector with emphasis on cross-cutting digital and creative skills. The strategic thematic strands specified are intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and digital storytelling. Relevant sub-sectors include film, television, online video, interactive media, digital content production, creative industries and cultural sector organisations engaged in AVM production and dissemination.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated countries. No specific Member States or Associated countries are named in the provided text. The opportunity therefore applies generally to entities located in these two groups.

Project Stage:Development to implementation and immediate professional application. The courses are expected to be fully developed learning offers ready for delivery during the grant period, with defined measurable learning outcomes and assessment strategies that demonstrate application of skills in professional contexts. The expected maturity is beyond idea stage: course design, content development, pedagogical and assessment frameworks, piloting or immediate rollout are anticipated.

Funding Amount:Up to €75 000 per selected project. The EIT Culture & Creativity business plan lists an overall indicative budget for this competitive call within the Business Plan 2026, and the call text explicitly states a maximum grant per project. The Business Plan total budget reference in the scraped data is €600 000 but the call-level maximum award per project is €75 000.

Application Type:Open competitive call with a single-stage electronic submission. Applicants must submit applications through the electronic submission platform between 20 July 2026 and 14 September 2026, 17:00 CEST. The deadline model is single-stage. Questions may be submitted via the official Contact Form and will be anonymised and published where appropriate.

Nature of Support:Monetary support in the form of a grant. The call targets financial support for course development and delivery. Non-monetary services are also referenced indirectly via EIT Culture & Creativity processes such as portfolio selection, guidance, and an information session, but the primary beneficiary support is monetary grant funding.

Application Stages:Multiple sequential stages between submission and contracting: 1) Electronic submission of application, budget plan, EIT Culture & Creativity funding template, and Gantt chart; 2) Admissibility and eligibility check by the PMO; 3) External quality evaluation by three independent expert evaluators against award criteria including Horizon Europe award criteria; 4) Internal portfolio selection by the EIT Culture & Creativity Selection Committee focusing on strategic fit, financial sustainability principles and Knowledge Triangle Integration; 5) Communication of provisional results, 30-calendar-day standstill period; 6) Publication of final results; 7) Subgrant agreement signature and legal entity validation. The core evaluation steps number four distinct assessment stages prior to contracting, with additional administrative contracting steps thereafter.

Success Rates:Not specified in the call text. The scraped materials do not provide historical acceptance rates, number of expected awards, or selection rate. Applicants should assume a competitive evaluation process and prepare proposals aligned strongly with award criteria and KIC portfolio priorities.

Co-funding Requirement:Not explicitly stated. The call text describes an EIT grant of up to €75 000 per project but does not specify mandatory co-funding levels in the provided excerpt. Applicants should consult the full call documentation and the EIT Culture & Creativity funding template included with the application package to confirm whether co-funding or in-kind contributions are required or recommended.

Application templates and required documents:Applicants must submit the application form, the budget plan, the EIT Culture & Creativity funding template, and a Gantt chart with project timeline and work packages via the electronic submission platform. The call information notes an online information session and an official Contact Form for questions. The application form will follow the EIT Culture & Creativity competitive call template as published on the call webpage. Applicants should prepare the following sections and attachments as typical for EIT competitive calls: 1. Administrative identification of the applicant(s) and legal status documentation; 2. Project abstract and summary; 3. Detailed description of the course including learning outcomes, target audience, pedagogical approach, course structure, duration and delivery mode (asynchronous online in English is required); 4. Assessment strategy with measurable evaluation methods demonstrating professional application of skills; 5. Relevance to the strategic strands: intellectual property, artificial intelligence, or digital storytelling; 6. Work plan and Gantt chart with clear work packages, milestones and deliverables; 7. Detailed budget and budget justification using the EIT Culture & Creativity funding template; 8. Risk management and sustainability plan, including business model or exploitation plan to show how the course will have impact beyond the grant period; 9. Consortium description and letter(s) of commitment if multi-beneficiary; 10. CVs of key staff and evidence of prior experience delivering CPD courses or AVM sector training; 11. Ethics and data protection considerations, especially addressing technological ethics and digital sovereignty. Applicants must ensure all attachments are uploaded and that the application is submitted before the deadline.

Evaluation process and timeline:Submissions are accepted between 20 July 2026 and 14 September 2026, 17:00 CEST. After the deadline, the PMO will perform admissibility and eligibility checks. Proposals that pass will be evaluated externally by three independent experts against award criteria including those from Horizon Europe. Subsequently, proposals passing quality evaluation will be assessed internally by the EIT Culture & Creativity Selection Committee for strategic portfolio fit and compliance with financial sustainability and Knowledge Triangle Integration. The indicative evaluation period runs from September to November 2026. Provisional results are expected by the end of November 2026, followed by a 30-calendar-day standstill period. Final publication of results is expected by the end of December 2026 and signature of the subgrant agreement is planned for December 2026 January 2027, subject to procedural and legal validation checks.

Assessment and award criteria (as reflected in call procedures):Proposals will be evaluated by independent experts against award criteria including Horizon Europe award criteria. The internal selection will additionally consider strategic portfolio fit, compliance with EIT financial sustainability principles and Knowledge Triangle Integration. The call text emphasises quality of learning design, specificity and measurability of learning outcomes, practice-oriented pedagogy, ethics and digital sovereignty reflection, delivery modality suitability for working professionals, and realistic and balanced assessment strategies demonstrating professional application of skills.

1. 1Prepare a concise project abstract emphasising immediate career impact and sector relevance.
2. 2Define specific, measurable learning outcomes and link them to assessment methods demonstrating professional use of skills.
3. 3Describe pedagogical approach showing practice orientation and critical reflection on technological ethics and digital sovereignty.
4. 4Provide a clear asynchronous online course structure in English with modular content suitable for working professionals.
5. 5Complete the required budget plan and EIT Culture & Creativity funding template with detailed cost breakdown and justification.
6. 6Include a Gantt chart with work packages, deliverables, milestones and timelines covering the 12 month project duration.
7. 7If applicable, include consortium agreements, letters of commitment and descriptions of partners contributions aligned with Knowledge Triangle Integration.
8. 8Address sustainability and exploitation strategy to demonstrate impact beyond the grant duration.
9. 9Upload CVs and evidence of prior experience delivering CPD or AVM sector training.
10. 10Submit application via the electronic submission platform before the deadline and retain proof of submission.

How to get further information and support:Applicants may register and attend the online information session on 30 July 2026 and submit questions through the official EIT Culture & Creativity Contact Form during the call period. Questions will be anonymised and published where appropriate on the call page to ensure equal access to information. The call page and submission portal contain the official templates and detailed guidance documents that applicants must follow. Results, procedural updates and the recording of the information session will be published on the EIT Culture & Creativity website and the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. EIT Culture & Creativity Call page Submission portal Information session registration Contact form Business Plan citation ¹

Overall summary

This funding opportunity under EIT Culture & Creativity Business Plan 2026 finances development and delivery of short, skills-based Continuous Professional Development courses for the Audio-visual media sector. It targets legal entities in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated countries, accepts single applicants and consortia, and awards grants up to €75 000 per project for a 12 month implementation period starting January 2027. The call prioritises courses in intellectual property, artificial intelligence and digital storytelling, requires asynchronous online delivery in English, measurable learning outcomes, practice-oriented pedagogy, and a balanced assessment approach that evidences professional uptake of skills. Applicants must submit the application form, budget plan, EIT funding template and a Gantt chart through the electronic submission platform by 14 September 2026, and should consult official templates and attend the information session for full procedural details.

Footnotes

1. 1Source: EITCULTURE Business Plan 2026 call page on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Full opportunity and templates available at the official portal: ec.europa.eu

This call funds specialised Continuous Professional Development courses for the audio visual media sector, with an emphasis on short, granular, outcome oriented training that can improve professional skills, support career progression, and stimulate innovation in organisations.[1][2] The call focuses on intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and digital storytelling, and it is designed primarily for asynchronous online delivery in English to fit the schedules of working professionals.[1][2]

Key facts

Who can apply

Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.[1] The call accepts both mono beneficiary and multi beneficiary applications.[1] Mono beneficiary applications are limited to HEIs, VET institutions, or accredited professional training providers, while consortium applications may include up to three participants from at least two eligible countries.[1]

What the projects must deliver

• Short CPD courses designed for asynchronous online delivery in English.[1]
• Practice oriented learning with specific, measurable learning outcomes.[1]
• A balanced assessment strategy that shows how participants apply new skills in professional contexts.[1]
• Critical reflection on technological ethics and digital sovereignty.[1]
• Training aligned with one of the call strands, namely intellectual property, artificial intelligence, or digital storytelling.[1][2]

Timeline

Application package

Applicants must submit the application form, a budget plan and EIT Culture & Creativity funding template in Excel format, and a Gantt chart showing the project timeline and work packages in PDF format.[1] The call page indicates that submissions are made through the official application platform.[1]

Assessment and practical implications

The call is well suited to organisations that can design and deliver a market relevant course quickly and demonstrate strong educational delivery capacity.[1][2] Because the reimbursement ceiling is 75 percent, applicants must be able to provide at least 25 percent co funding for eligible project costs.[1]