Creative Europe Creative Innovation Lab 2027: €7.18 million for the audiovisual and creative industries

On 20 October 2026, the European Commission opened the Creative Innovation Lab 2027 call (CREA-CROSS-2027-INNOVLAB) under the Creative Europe programme, with a budget of €7,183,502. The funding goes to innovative tools, models or solutions that must be usable in the audiovisual sector and in at least one other sector: music, books or museums. Applications are accepted until 22 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels time).

In brief

• Programme: Creative Europe, cross-sectoral strand – Creative Innovation Lab (CREA-CROSS-2027-INNOVLAB)
• Authority: European Commission, through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• Beneficiaries: private and public entities: tech companies, start-ups, organisations from the audiovisual and cultural and creative sectors, incubators and accelerators
• Total budget: €7,183,502 for 2027
• Value per project / intensity: EU funding of up to 80% of costs; the maximum value per project is set in the call document
• Submission period: 20 October 2026 – 22 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels time), in a single stage
• Status: call open; funding agreements are expected in January 2028

What kinds of projects are funded?

The call supports projects that design, develop or spread new solutions to common problems of the creative industries. The central condition is cooperation between sectors: the audiovisual sector is mandatory, plus at least one of music, books or museums.

The Commission lists three thematic strands:

• Virtual worlds – tools that use virtual environments to promote European content;
• Innovative business tools – for example rights management, data collection and analysis, artificial intelligence applications;
• Greener practices – solutions that reduce the sector's environmental impact, in line with the European Green Deal.

The intended results are new creative processes, greater visibility and diversity for European content in the digital environment, better business models, use of data and a wider audience across borders.

What is not funded?

The call sheet excludes content production or development costs and the organisation of cultural events. Multimedia art projects, e-learning platforms, tourism promotion and news programmes are also ineligible. In short: the Commission pays for the tool or solution that can be used by several players in the industry, not for a film, an album or a festival.

Who can apply and how are applications assessed?

The Commission invites "a wide range of organisations": private and public entities, technology companies and start-ups, audiovisual, cultural and creative organisations, as well as business incubators and accelerators. The exact composition of the consortium, the eligible countries and the financial and operational capacity criteria are described in the call document, which you should read in full before you start preparing.

In the assessment, what matters is how far the project relies on cross-sector cooperation, how it will be put into practice and what benefits it brings to the sectors involved. The Commission also considers whether the project can work with EU funding below the 80% ceiling, that is, whether the partners provide a credible own contribution or private investment.

Before submitting, the Commission recommends that applicants check the relevance and eligibility of their project with the Creative Europe Desk in their country.

How and by when do you apply?

Submission is online, via the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal, in a single stage, by 22 April 2027, 17:00 (Brussels time), which is 18:00 in Romania. The call is for project grants (CREA-PJG), with a budget-based funding agreement, so expenditure is justified on actual costs, not through a lump sum. The Commission expects contracts to be signed in January 2028.

What this means for your business

The recommendations below are the opinion of our consultants, not conditions of the call.

• Who it suits: Romanian software, AI, virtual reality or data analysis companies that already have a product applicable to film or TV and see a use in publishing houses, record labels or museums. Also studios and distributors that want to develop a shared tool with partners from other sectors.
• Build the consortium first: cross-sector cooperation is the main requirement, and foreign partners are hard to find in the final weeks. Six months is enough only if you start now.
• The common pitfall: projects that are in fact content production dressed up as "innovation". If the budget goes mainly towards creating a work, the project risks being ineligible.
• Co-financing: at least 20% of the budget comes from partners. Plan the source of the money now and, if possible, the involvement of a private investor, because the evaluators explicitly award points for this.
• Last year of the period: the call is part of the 2027 work programme, the last year of Creative Europe 2021–2027. The conditions for the next period have not yet been announced.

If you are not sure your company qualifies, you can start with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline for Creative Innovation Lab 2027?

The deadline is 22 April 2027, 17:00 Brussels time (18:00 Romanian time). The call has been open since 20 October 2026, and submission is in a single stage, on the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal.

How much does the European Union fund?

The total budget of the call is €7,183,502, and EU funding covers up to 80% of project costs. The rest comes from the partners' contribution. The maximum value per project is set in the call document.

Can an IT company with no experience in culture apply?

Yes, the Commission explicitly invites technology companies and start-ups. However, the project must respond to a real need of the audiovisual sector and of at least one other sector (music, books or museums), so you need partners from these fields.

Can the production of a film or a game be funded?

No. Content production or development costs and the organisation of cultural events are not eligible. The funding goes to innovative tools, models and solutions that can be used by several players in the industry.

What is the difference from the MEDIA call for innovative tools?

The MEDIA call for innovative tools and business models is aimed only at the audiovisual sector. Creative Innovation Lab is a cross-sectoral call: it requires the solution to link the audiovisual sector with music, books or museums.

Official sources

• Funding & Tenders Portal – Creative Innovation Lab (CREA-CROSS-2027-INNOVLAB)
• Call sheet CREA-CROSS-2027-INNOVLAB (PDF)
• European Commission – Creative Innovation Lab, Creative Europe

Information checked on 26 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.