Regular Open Call Short Innovation Projects 2025 - Segment 2 (EIT CC - BP2024-2025)

EIT Culture & Creativity invites you to submit proposals for the 2025 Short Innovation Projects, supporting high-impact initiatives that address pressing challenges in the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI). This call focuses on fast-paced, results-driven innovation projects with a maximum duration of 6 months, delivering tangible and market-ready solutions within a short timeframe. 

With a strong emphasis on Fashion, Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Audio-Visual Media, and Gaming, this call seeks to accelerate commercialisation and market adoption of innovations that address the challenges of globalisation, digital transformation, emerging technologies (such as AI), and environmental sustainability. 

Beyond financial support, EIT Culture & Creativity may offer selected projects additional services to enhance long-term sustainability, such as market access support, investor pitch sessions, networking opportunities, and collaboration within the broader EIT ecosystem.

Applicants for Segment 2 (two-entity consortia projects) must submit their proposals exclusively through the designated online application form between 11 February 2025 and 11 April 2025 (17:00 CET).

Proposals must be submitted before the deadline to be considered for evaluation. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Admissibility and Eligibility Check

Each proposal will undergo an admissibility and eligibility check to ensure compliance with the call’s basic requirements:

Admissibility Criteria:

1. The proposal must be submitted before the deadline via the official application platform.
2. The proposal must be written entirely in English.
3. The proposal is submitted through the designated application platform.
4. The submission must include all required accompanying documents in English.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. The lead applicant and all consortium members must be registered on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal with a Participant Identification Code (PIC).
2. Applicants must comply with the applicant requirements as specified in the call guidelines.
3. The proposal must demonstrate a minimum co-funding rate of 30% across the project.
4. The project must align with mandatory Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Only proposals meeting both admissibility and eligibility criteria will proceed to the evaluation stage.

Evaluation Process

Eligible proposals will be assessed through a two-stage evaluation process:

Stage 1 – External Quality Evaluation

Each proposal will be evaluated by independent external experts based on five core criteria:

1. Strategic Fit – Alignment with EIT Culture & Creativity’s objectives and call topics, including a realistic Financial Sustainability Mechanism (FSM) to ensure the project’s viability.
2. EU Dimension – The proposal’s potential for European market impact and scalability beyond its direct implementation.
3. Excellence – Degree of novelty, creativity, and innovation in addressing unmet needs within the Cultural and Creative Sectors.
4. Impact – Expected societal and market benefits, key market analysis indicators (TAM, SAM, SOM), commercialisation strategies, and revenue projections.
5. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation – Feasibility of the work plan, risk management, communication strategies, resource allocation, gender diversity commitment, and budget justification.

To proceed to the next stage, proposals must meet individual thresholds in each evaluation category and achieve the minimum total score threshold.

Stage 2 – Portfolio Selection

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will be reviewed based on their strategic alignment with EIT Culture & Creativity’s portfolio. The selection process will assess:

1. Business Intelligence – The project’s ability to introduce innovative approaches, disrupt markets, and create opportunities for scaling and partnerships.
2. Strategic Portfolio Fit – Complementarity with existing EIT Culture & Creativity projects and alignment with sectoral needs.
3. Financial & Commercial Scalability – The project’s ability to secure additional financial support from EIT CC and contribute to EIT Culture & Creativity’s financial goals.

Only proposals that meet the required thresholds in the portfolio selection process will be considered for final funding.