Open Call for Support Program 2022 By MediaFutures: (Deadline 22 January 2022)

Are you a startup or an artist from the media field, working with data? Are you willing to make data exploration both entertaining and informative? Do you question the impact of data and technology on individuals and society? Apply for the MediaFutures Support Program 2022.

The MediaFutures Support Program is looking for artists and startups eager to reshape the media value chain through innovative, inclusive, and participatory applications of data and user-generated content.

The Challenge

The second Open Call addresses the challenge of misinformation and disinformation. MediaFutures seeks to support novel, unconventional ways for people to engage with journalism, science, and democracy, using approaches and tools from the arts, technology, and innovation. This years’ challenge invites innovative, creative, and impactful ideas which address the issues of online misinformation and disinformation in different domains.

These ideas should help counteract the negative effects of misinformation and disinformation across society and help build trust in scientific and democratic institutions. That could mean developing software or hardware to address specific issues; artworks to highlight various aspects of them; or combinations of both. They are particularly keen to receive applications that offer new approaches to include minorities or especially affected countries.

Applications must include details on how these outcomes will be achieved during the six-month MediaFutures support program, and what impact these will have on the issue they address.

Benefits from MediaFutures Support Program

• Up to €80,000 equity-free funding for startups
• Up to €40,000 for artists
• Technical, legal, and advisory support
• Data and computational resources
• Mentorship and training
• Networking and peer learning
• Lastly, Marketing and promotion through EU events and communities

Eligibility Required for MediaFutures Support Program

• Startups and Artistic Companies: An SME will be considered as such if it matches with the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC and the SME user guide. As a summary, the criteria which define an SME are:
  • Headcount in Annual Work Unit (AWU) less than 250 and
  • Annual turnover less or equal to €50 million or annual balance sheet total, less or equal to €43 million.
• Group of Individuals: When there is not a constituted SME, the applicants could be a group between 2 to 4 individuals legally established in an eligible country (according to section 5.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants) and with a written commitment to have set up a legally registered SME if reaching the “BUILD” phase.
• Additionally, Artists: A physical person, a collective of individuals or a company whose main activity, as professionals or students, is of artistic nature. The artist must have produced enough artwork for the jury to evaluate their artistic experience. For the SMA track, a combination of an artist and a startup is mandatory. A matchmaking process between artists and startups will be organized by the MediaFutures team to help form partnerships, in case applicants do not have an established one.

Selection Criteria of MediaFutures Support Program

• Innovation
• Impact
• Business (for startups)
• Implementation and artistic quality (for artists)
• Team

Application Details

• Firstly, Download the Application KIT in which you find all relevant documents
• Secondly, Read all the documents in the Application KIT, with special attention to the Guidelines for Applicants
• Thirdly, Choose the track you intend to apply to and go to the respective submission platform:
• Moreover, Make sure to answer all questions and upload all relevant documents:
  • Short proposal; if you are applying to Artists for Media or Startup meets Artist tracks,
  • Additionally, Amateur video;
  • Lastly, Additional artistic material

Lastly, It is important to visit the official website link found below to access the application form.