Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

The aim of the EIT Culture & Creativity’s 2025 Innovation Programme is to foster a balanced portfolio of projects that address key challenges in EIT Culture & Creativity’s five priority areas: Fashion, Cultural Heritage, Architecture, Gaming, and Audio-Visual Media.
This call will focus specifically on short innovation projects – projects with a duration of no more than 6 months – that can drive tangible, impactful results within a limited timeframe.

The total EIT CC financial support provided for this segment is up to €2.640.000 with a maximum €120.000 of EIT CC financial support per project (up to 22 projects will be financially supported).

EIT CC financial support allocations will be distributed in two instalments:

• Beginning of the project: up to 30% as prefinancing (The initial pre-financing will only be disbursed once all required documents have been duly signed by all parties, and all necessary validations have been successfully completed.)
• Completion of the project: up to an additional 70% as final payment. After revision and validation of the final report.

This is an open call launched under the cascade funding mechanism, providing financial support to third parties based on actual costs incurred.

Budget must be clearly defined and demonstrated: for segment 2, the budget is distinctly distributed among both entities according to their roles and responsibilities.

All proposals must have a minimum co-funding rate of 30% across the project. Members within a consortium may have different individual co-funding rates, if the overall co-funding for the entire project meets the required minimum of 30%. Costs funded by other EU programmes or sources are not eligible as co-funding to avoid double funding.

The expected duration of participation is up to 6 months.

Once an application is selected for EIT CC financial support, the financially supported entities will automatically become members of the EIT Culture & Creativity community. As members, they will benefit from the support of the KIC’s ecosystem.  To continue their engagement after project implementation, they will be required to choose one of the membership categories described in page 15 of the Call Guidelines.

• Audiovisual sector and Media
• Culture
• Research, Technological Development and Innovation
• Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness

• Other Beneficiaries
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

The Call for Short Innovation Projects supports projects carried out by a consortium of 2 entities:

• One SME or micro enterprise (the innovation developer) as the project leader.
• One supporting entity (e.g., research organisation, technology provider, or business consultant) providing complementary expertise to support market readiness.

The members must be from 2 different EU Member States or HE-associated countries. The commercial member role must always be held by an SME or micro enterprise. The project must advance the innovation to TRL 9 within 6 months.

The call specifically targets small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or micro-companies in the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI), with a focus on close-to-market innovations progressing from TRL 7 to TRL 9 and target market readiness.

To be eligible, all submitted proposals must address the mandatory KPIs listed below:  

• Mandatory KPIs: EITHE02.4 – Innovations Launched on the Market: The proposal must aim to launch at least one innovation (new product or service) on the market within the KAVA duration or within 3 years of completion, with documented sales revenue of at least €10.000. Minimum target: 1

Also, proposals may address the following optional additional KPIs:

• Optional KPIs: EITHE01.1 – Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): The proposal should aim to generate and apply for at least one IPR (patent, trademark, registered design, etc.) resulting from KIC activities.
• Optional KPIs: EITHE04.4 – Start-ups Created: The proposal should aim to establish a start-up based on the project’s outputs, with financial transactions of at least €10.000 for services/products sold to customers.

These projects advance technologies from TRL 7 to TRL 9, ensuring rapid commercialisation. Priority areas include Fashion, Cultural Heritage, Architecture, Gaming, and Audio-Visual Media. The expected outcome is a market-ready product, service, or business model, with a clear path to commercialisation across multiple European markets.

The project leader will be responsible for the overall coordination and execution of the project. Their key duties include managing and monitoring the project’s work plan, ensuring that deliverables, milestones, and KPIs are met, and serving as the primary communication point with EIT Culture & Creativity.

Research and Innovation Foundation
Address: 29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia, P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/

Contact Person:

Nedi Kaffa
Scientific Officer
Email: nkaffa@research.org.cy

A repository of common queries and troubleshooting guides will be created and maintained on the EIT CC website.

• Funding&Tenders
• EIT webpage / call announcement page
• Call Guidelines