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CFPs: Fair and Transparent Market for Cultural and Creative Content in the era of Generative AI

Deadline: 23-Sep-2026

This European Commission call supports projects that examine how generative AI is reshaping the cultural and creative sectors and how policy, standards, and technology can keep markets fair. The goal is to protect creators, improve transparency, and support sustainable creative economies in a rapidly changing digital environment.

The topic focuses on both analysis and practical solutions. It asks projects to study the socio-economic effects of generative AI while also developing tools and frameworks for provenance, rights management, and fair value distribution.

Key facts

  • Programme: Horizon Europe.

  • Total budget: €12 million.

  • Typical project funding: €3 million to €4 million.

  • Eligibility: Any legal entity worldwide, including international organisations, subject to Horizon Europe and call rules.

  • Main theme: Generative AI’s impact on cultural and creative sectors.

  • Core outputs: policy frameworks, transparency tools, provenance systems, rights management solutions, and business models.

What the call is about

The call responds to the rapid expansion of generative AI in music, publishing, visual arts, film, design, and other creative industries. It seeks to understand how AI changes market structures, audience behavior, and creative value chains.

It also aims to ensure that the people whose works train or influence AI systems are treated fairly. That includes stronger creator remuneration, more transparent AI content flows, and better tools for tracking how creative works are used.

Core focus areas

Socio-economic impact

Projects may study how generative AI affects jobs, revenues, bargaining power, audience behavior, and cultural production models.

Creators’ rights and remuneration

The call supports approaches that strengthen consent, control, licensing, and fair payment for the use of creative works in AI training and generation.

Transparency and authenticity

Projects may develop systems that label or identify AI-generated content and improve trust in creative markets.

Copyright infrastructure

This includes rights management systems, content provenance tools, and mechanisms to trace ownership or usage across AI pipelines.

Diversity and inclusion

The call encourages ethical and inclusive approaches that avoid reinforcing bias or excluding underrepresented creators and communities.

Policy and business model innovation

Projects may design legal, policy, or commercial frameworks that support sustainability, compliance, and equitable value distribution.

What projects may do

Strong projects may:

  • Map generative AI supply chains.

  • Trace content provenance across creation and distribution systems.

  • Build consent and control tools for creators.

  • Develop fair compensation models for training data use.

  • Create trust indicators for AI-generated creative works.

  • Test policy or regulatory frameworks for AI in creative sectors.

  • Prototype business models that support both innovation and creator rights.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include any legal entity worldwide, including:

  • Universities.

  • Research institutions.

  • Creative sector organisations.

  • Technology providers.

  • NGOs.

  • International organisations.

  • Consortia combining legal, technical, cultural, and policy expertise.

Applicants must comply with Horizon Europe regulations and the specific conditions of the call.

What strong proposals should include

A competitive proposal should show:

  • Clear understanding of generative AI’s effects on creative markets.

  • A balanced approach to innovation and rights protection.

  • Practical tools or frameworks, not only theoretical analysis.

  • Strong legal, technical, and cultural expertise in the consortium.

  • Measurable outputs such as prototypes, policy recommendations, standards, or pilots.

  • Attention to ethical use, diversity, and inclusion.

Why it matters

Generative AI can expand creative possibilities, but it can also blur authorship, weaken remuneration, and make content authenticity harder to verify. This call matters because it tries to make sure creative systems evolve without undermining the rights and livelihoods of creators.

It also supports the broader public interest. Transparent content markets and trustworthy provenance systems help audiences identify reliable works and understand what is human-made, AI-assisted, or AI-generated.

How the call likely works

  1. Define the problem.

    • Identify a clear issue in creative markets, copyright, or AI transparency.

  2. Build the solution or research framework.

    • Combine analysis with a practical tool, standard, policy model, or pilot.

  3. Form a consortium.

    • Include cultural, legal, technical, and policy partners.

  4. Show relevance to creators and markets.

    • Explain how the project benefits rights holders, audiences, and sector sustainability.

  5. Plan measurable outputs.

    • Include deliverables such as reports, prototypes, standards, or pilot evaluations.

  6. Submit under Horizon Europe rules.

    • Ensure compliance with eligibility, ethics, and legal conditions.

Common mistakes and tips

  • Mistake: Focusing only on AI technology without cultural-sector relevance.

    • Tip: Keep the project grounded in creative markets, rights, and value chains.

  • Mistake: Treating the topic as a pure ethics discussion.

    • Tip: Include practical tools, standards, or policy instruments.

  • Mistake: Ignoring creator remuneration.

    • Tip: Show how the project improves consent, control, and fair value distribution.

  • Mistake: Weak consortium design.

    • Tip: Bring together creative industry, legal, and technical expertise.

  • Mistake: Failing to address transparency.

    • Tip: Include provenance, labeling, or authenticity mechanisms.

FAQ

  1. What is the main goal of this call?

    • To study and address generative AI’s impact on cultural and creative sectors while building fair, transparent content markets.

  2. How much funding is available?

    • The total budget is €12 million, with typical project funding of €3 million to €4 million.

  3. Who can apply?

    • Any legal entity worldwide, including international organisations, if Horizon Europe rules are met.

  4. What kinds of projects fit best?

    • Projects on provenance, rights management, creator remuneration, transparency, policy frameworks, and sustainable business models.

  5. Does the call support technical tools?

    • Yes, especially tools that improve trust, provenance, rights control, and content discoverability.

  6. Is policy research allowed?

    • Yes, especially if it connects to practical frameworks and systemic innovation.

  7. Why are diversity and inclusion important here?

    • Because AI systems can reproduce bias, and creative sectors benefit from equitable access and representation.

Conclusion

This Horizon Europe call is designed to help creative markets adapt to generative AI without sacrificing creator rights, trust, or sustainability. The strongest proposals will combine rigorous analysis with practical tools and fair governance models that support both innovation and cultural integrity.

For more information, visit European Commission.