Creative Europe MEDIA 2027 Innovative Tools: €14m EU Call for AI, Audiovisual Platforms and Digital Access
An open 2027 EU innovation call for audiovisual platforms and tools
The European Commission has opened CREA-MEDIA-2027-INNOVBUSMOD, the Creative Europe MEDIA 2027 Innovative Tools and Business Models call. Applications close at 17:00 Brussels time on 14 January 2027. The 2027 envelope is €14 million in total, an amount allocated across successful projects rather than a €14 million award available to each applicant. This initiative supports industry-facing digital tools and service models that improve how European films, screen works, videogames and audiovisual productions are discovered, accessed, financed, distributed and made more sustainable.
AI, subtitles, accessibility, rights and cross-platform distribution
Eligible project concepts can include subtitling and accessibility services, cross-border recommendation and discoverability tools, data-analysis methods to reach new audiences, intellectual-property and rights-management solutions, and digital business models connecting festivals, cinemas and video-on-demand platforms. Creative Europe also identifies responsible uses of artificial intelligence and improvements to the environmental footprint of the audiovisual industry. The expected result is measurable benefit for European audiovisual circulation and business practice; an unrelated AI image generator or general commercial SaaS service is not sufficient by itself.
Companies and organisations in MEDIA-participating countries
Applicants must be legal entities established in countries qualifying for Creative Europe MEDIA, with the appropriate national ownership/control required by the call. Private creative-tech companies, nonprofits, public organisations and joint project consortia may fit if all legal and programme conditions are met. The call permits qualifying single-beneficiary applications as well as consortia. Individuals seeking a personal art stipend and non-European companies with no eligible applicant status cannot assume this programme is open to them merely because the subject is digital technology.
Maximum support rate is 80%, not an automatic fixed cash prize
The EU grant can reimburse up to 80% of eligible project costs under the applicable grant agreement. The programme operates on actual eligible expenses with budget-based reporting, unlike the separate game-development lump-sum programme. Official summaries do not impose one standard maximum amount per project; the €14 million is the overall 2027 competition budget. A sound proposal should commit credible own or partner financing and show cost efficiency rather than request the maximum theoretical EU share without demonstrating private or matching resources.
Qualifying costs and key exclusions
The application should describe the digital tool or business model, technical proof of feasibility, target European users, cross-border benefits, distribution channels, cybersecurity and accessibility, rights management, sustainability, deployment timeline and measurable industry impact. The scheme does not support the development of physical hardware such as cameras or headsets as its primary purpose. Commercial video-game production budgets are assessed under other calls and should not be moved into this innovation scheme without a genuinely suitable industry-wide technology proposal.
AI transparency and intellectual-property responsibilities
The MEDIA guidance gives applicants responsibility for the accuracy and rights status of all proposal material, including content prepared with generative AI. Project teams should clearly document what AI was used to draft or design the proposal and the basis for legitimate training data, third-party content and access rights where relevant. The programme seeks practical innovation; claims of proprietary tools, guaranteed licensing or environmental performance without supporting evidence may undermine an otherwise promising application.
European Commission management and safe online application
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) administers this European Commission funding line under Creative Europe. The 2027 call launched 30 September 2026, with the application period extending to January 2027; a Creative Europe Desk online information session was announced for 27 October 2026. Applicants should use EU Login, register legal entities for a PIC, download the correct 2027 INNOVBUSMOD call document, confirm participating country/ownership rules, and apply via the official Funding & Tenders Portal rather than unofficial grant brokers.
Official programme and eligibility
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CREA-MEDIA-2027-INNOVBUSMOD
https://www.creativeeurope.be/nl/innovative-tools-and-business-models
https://www.welcomeurope.com/en/the-list-of-our-calls-projects/creative-europe-innovative-tools-and-business-models-2027/