New €10.5m fund aims to take European AV innovation to market
Europe’s audiovisual sector is producing new ideas in areas from AI-powered content creation to new approaches to IP and media production. But developing the technology is only part of the challenge. The next step is turning innovation into products and services that customers will actually adopt.
A new €10.5 million funding call from EIT Culture & Creativity aims to help European companies bridge that gap, with audiovisual media identified as one of three priority sectors alongside architecture and fashion.
EIT Culture & Creativity, which is participating at ISE 2027 in Innovation Park and at the Investor Forum, is targeting technologies that have already moved beyond early experimentation and are ready to progress towards commercial deployment.
Its new Innovation Projects call is open to startups, scale-ups, SMEs and other eligible companies with innovations that have reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7. At this level, a prototype has already been demonstrated in an operational environment.
The goal is to help successful projects progress towards TRL 9: a proven solution operating in the real world.
Bridging the commercialisation gap
It is an important distinction. This is not primarily funding to discover whether an idea works. It addresses what happens next.
A technically successful innovation does not automatically become a commercially successful one. Companies still need customers, routes to market, partnerships, investment and a credible strategy for scaling.
That challenge is familiar at ISE, where Innovation Park brings startups and emerging businesses together with investors and industry decision-makers. Its Pitching Stage provides a platform for companies to present new propositions and make connections that can help take them to the next stage of development.
For audiovisual media businesses, the EIT Culture & Creativity call is particularly relevant. Its priorities include responsible AI, IP monetisation and strengthening the competitiveness of Europe's audiovisual media sector.
These areas increasingly overlap. AI is creating new possibilities across content creation and production while raising questions about intellectual property, business models and how creative organisations generate value from their work.
The challenge is therefore not simply developing new technology. It is finding viable ways to put that technology to work.
Up to €900,000 for individual projects
The programme takes a staged approach.
In the first stage, companies submit a concept proposal setting out their innovation, technical maturity and initial market, IP and regulatory considerations. Up to 30 projects can receive €20,000 to develop a detailed Business Development Plan, including further market validation and a commercialisation strategy.
The strongest proposals can then progress to implementation. Up to 11 projects will receive funding of as much as €900,000 each over a period of up to 18 months, with the emphasis shifting towards market entry, scaling and revenue generation.
Funding is only part of the proposition. Selected businesses can also access EIT Culture & Creativity's network across more than 30 countries, connecting them with potential customers, investors, strategic partners and distribution channels.
It reinforces a principle at the heart of ISE's own innovation activity: promising ideas need opportunities to connect with the people who can help turn them into viable businesses.
Stage 1 applications for the EIT Culture & Creativity Innovation Projects call close at 17:00 CET on 30 October 2026.
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