Deadline: 08-Oct-2025
The Creative Industries Fund NL offers game professionals, game studios, and collectives in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom the opportunity to strengthen their practice and make it future-proof.
The call focuses on reflection, positioning, and development, with particular emphasis on issues specific to the games sector. These include themes such as sustainable business models, scaling up games to reach a wider audience, collaboration between junior and senior professionals, and the impact of technological developments such as AI on work processes and roles within the industry. By stimulating the professionalisation of makers and studios in the games sector, the Fund aims, through this open call, to contribute to the development of the sector.
This open call is intended for game designers, game developers, independent creators, small or medium-sized game studios, and temporary collectives within the Dutch gaming sector. Applications can be submitted by individual creators or studios with an independent practice in the game industry, or by (temporary) collectives formed around a shared issue or development goal. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of professional experience in the gaming industry, which may include experience across different studios or projects. Individual applicants must provide a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce showing their registration as independent entrepreneurs, while collectives must prove that each member is independently established.
The open call is not meant for direct game development or production but instead focuses on professional development. Projects can include deepening working methods through coaching or knowledge sharing, exploring new forms of collaboration, developing or refining business models and strategic plans, repositioning within the (inter)national games sector, building collective long-term strategies, strengthening the business side of a studio, or examining the impact of technological changes such as AI on roles and creative processes.
Funding is available in two categories. Individual applications, including studios, can apply for a maximum grant of €10,000, provided the applicant has at least three years of professional experience. Collective applications, involving multiple professionals or studios addressing a shared professionalisation issue, can apply for up to €25,000. One participant must act as the main applicant, supported by a cooperation agreement.
Applications will be evaluated based on clarity and depth of reflection on the development of one’s own practice, the quality of the proposed plan in relation to results, artistic quality of the portfolio, and the contribution of involved mentors or coaches.
The required documents for submission include a completed application form, a project plan outlining vision, challenges, action plan, and intended effect, a schedule, a balanced budget with funding plan, CVs, portfolios, and where applicable, cooperation agreements or Chamber of Commerce extracts. Optional letters of intent from advisors, mentors, or coaches can also be included to strengthen the application. The deadline for applications is 8 October 2025.
For more information, visit Creative Industries Fund NL.
