The European journalism sectors, as one of the pillars of democracy, are facing serious challenges, particularly due to the digital transformation. The shift towards online media has led to a decline in advertising revenues for traditional media, threatening the economic sustainability of professional journalism. Many media organisations are closing, reducing media diversity and undermining the stable functioning of democracy.
This call aims to address these challenges. It is launched under the Cross-sectoral strand of the Creative Europe Programme, which encourages cross-sectoral cooperation and innovation not only within the cultural and creative sectors (including the audiovisual) but also in the news media sector. The goal is to strengthen a diverse, independent, free, and pluralistic media environment, support quality journalism, and enhance media literacy.
The total budget for this call is EUR 6.900.000. The maximum EU contribution per project is EUR 2.000.000, with a maximum co-financing rate of 80% of the total eligible costs. Therefore, applicants must secure co-funding from other sources for their projects.
Objective
The Journalism Partnerships β Collaborations call supports collaborative projects in and between any news media (sub)sector and/or genre that aim to enhance cooperation, help media adapt to new economic and consumption realities and instil systemic change across that (sub)sector.
Priorities
Projects must focus on ways to develop collaborative transformation, from a business, technological and/or production point of view.
Projects can aim to develop, inter alia, better revenue and monetisation models, new approaches to audience development, community-building and marketing, development of common professional/technical standards, new types of newsrooms, syndication networks or other models to exchange content/data between news media across the EU, or provide assistance to small media organisations.
They can aim to increase efficiency and the quality of reporting through innovative journalistic collaborations. Projects can test innovative production methods and formats, or contribute to high-quality media production standards in other collaborative ways. Projects can aim to increase exchanges of best practices among journalists and optimise workflows for those journalism genres requiring more time and resources.
Proposals may address one or more of the priorities outlined above, if relevant and based on the needs analysis of the chosen (sub)sector. The proposal should provide this needs analysis and explain how the proposed activities will work towards addressing the identified challenges
Activities
Activities can include events, online trainings and workshops for media professionals, exchange programmes, mentoring schemes, mapping of best practices, sector-wide development of technical standards, development of guidelines and editorial standards, production of practical guidebooks, development and testing of platforms and technical solutions to exchange ideas and best practices, promotional activities, or other activities that aim to uphold the viability of the sector. Sharing of best practices between operators in media markets/countries/regions with different and diverse characteristics (in terms of languages, production volumes, sizes, digitalisation levels etc.) is encouraged, to promote mutual learning. Applicants are encouraged to consider activities supporting media sectors lacking the means of adapting to the digital environment.
Projects should select activities with the potential to create systemic change in the chosen (sub)sector and include concrete results with clear and measurable performance indicators.
They must also adhere to professional media standards and editorial independence, as well as incorporate strategies for a sustainable and environmentally responsible media sector.
Eligible Applicants
Project proposals must be submitted by a consortium composed of at least three partners from a minimum of three different countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme.
Consortia may include non-profit, public, and private media organisations (including print and online media, radio, podcasts, television, etc.) as well as other organisations active in the news media sector (including media associations, NGOs, journalistic funds, training organisations for media professionals, and similar entities).
Project duration: up to 24 months.
How to Prepare and Submit Project Proposals / Applications
β’ Project proposals must be prepared in accordance with the criteria and conditions outlined in the call document: NEWS β Journalism Partnerships (CREA-CROSS-2026-JOURPART), Version 1.0, 21 October 2025. The link to the call and the call document can be found here.
β’ Applications are processed and submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Opportunity Portal (F&TP) at the following link.