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Request for Proposals: Sustainable Paths to Media Viability

Deadline: 23-Sep-2026

This European Commission opportunity supports projects that improve the long-term sustainability of news media in the European Union. It focuses on helping independent journalism remain financially viable while adapting to digital change, misinformation pressures, and new audience behaviors.

The call encourages innovation in media business models, trust-enhancing digital tools, and collaborative platforms that strengthen democratic access to reliable information. It also supports standards and systems that make journalism easier to discover, evaluate, and monetize.

Key facts

  • Programme: European Commission funding for news media sustainability.

  • Total budget: €12,000,000.

  • Typical project funding: €3,500,000 to €4,000,000.

  • Geography: European Union.

  • Main goal: Strengthen sustainable business models for news media and support independent journalism.

  • Core themes: digital transformation, trustworthy information, AI tools, recommender systems, metadata standards, audience measurement, and revenue innovation.

What the call is about

This opportunity is designed to address two connected challenges: the financial fragility of news media and the spread of misinformation in digital environments. The Commission wants projects that help journalism stay economically viable without compromising editorial independence or professional standards.

It also aims to improve how citizens find and trust high-quality news. That means systems that surface verified journalism, support discoverability, and reward reliability rather than manipulation.

Core focus areas

Digital transformation

Projects may support new digital workflows, publishing models, audience engagement tools, or platform-level innovations that modernize news organizations.

Sustainable media business models

This includes work on subscriptions, memberships, advertising, paid content models, and other revenue approaches that help media organizations remain viable.

Trust and transparency

Projects can develop trust indicators, quality labels, metadata systems, or accountability tools that help users identify reliable journalism.

AI and recommender systems

The call supports AI-enabled media services and recommender systems that prioritize verified journalism and diversify content exposure.

Audience and revenue measurement

Projects may improve audience analytics, metadata standards, and measurement systems that help media companies understand users and monetize content responsibly.

Pan-European collaboration

The call encourages interoperable standards, shared platforms, and cross-border cooperation across the media sector.

Who should consider applying

This call is relevant to:

  • News publishers.

  • Media technology companies.

  • Research and innovation consortia.

  • Journalism support organizations.

  • Universities and applied research groups.

  • Media associations and digital platform partners.

  • Organizations working on audience analytics, recommender systems, or journalism standards.

A strong consortium will usually combine editorial, technical, commercial, and research expertise.

What strong proposals should include

A competitive proposal should show:

  • A real sustainability problem in the news media sector.

  • A clear innovation that can be tested in practice.

  • Evidence that the project supports journalistic integrity.

  • A realistic path to adoption by media organizations.

  • A pan-European or interoperable approach where relevant.

  • Measurable impact on audience trust, engagement, revenue, or discoverability.

Likely project types

Projects under this call may include:

  • Trust-label systems for verified journalism.

  • AI-powered recommender engines for public-interest news.

  • Tools that improve subscription conversion or reader retention.

  • Shared metadata standards for news discoverability.

  • Audience measurement models that better reflect journalism value.

  • Collaborative platforms for content distribution across media outlets.

  • Systems that connect journalistic quality with visibility and revenue.

How it likely works

  1. Identify the market problem.

    • Define what economic or distribution challenge your project addresses.

  2. Design the innovation.

    • Build a tool, model, or platform that supports sustainability and trust.

  3. Form a consortium.

    • Bring together media, technology, research, and distribution partners.

  4. Pilot and test.

    • Demonstrate the model with real users or media organizations.

  5. Measure impact.

    • Track revenue, engagement, discoverability, trust, or adoption.

  6. Scale or transfer.

    • Show how the solution can be used across the EU or adapted by others.

Why it matters

Independent journalism depends on stable revenue and public trust. Without sustainable business models, quality newsrooms struggle to compete in digital markets shaped by platform algorithms, fragmented attention, and misinformation.

This call matters because it supports the infrastructure behind healthy media ecosystems. If successful, it could improve how citizens access reliable information and help journalism remain a viable public good.

Common mistakes and tips

  • Mistake: Focusing only on editorial content without a sustainability model.

    • Tip: Show how the project creates or improves revenue, efficiency, or discoverability.

  • Mistake: Building a generic tech product with weak media relevance.

    • Tip: Tie the innovation directly to news production, distribution, or monetization.

  • Mistake: Ignoring trust and ethics.

    • Tip: Show how the project protects journalistic independence and public-interest standards.

  • Mistake: Weak consortium design.

    • Tip: Include both media operators and technical or research partners.

  • Mistake: No measurable adoption path.

    • Tip: Explain how the tool or model will be tested, evaluated, and taken up by the sector.

FAQ

  1. What is the main goal of this call?

    • To strengthen sustainable business models for news media and support independent journalism in the EU.

  2. How much funding is available?

    • The total budget is €12 million, with expected project grants of €3.5 million to €4 million.

  3. What kinds of projects are supported?

    • Projects on digital transformation, media business models, recommender systems, trust indicators, metadata, and AI-enabled journalism tools.

  4. Who should apply?

    • Media organizations, technology providers, researchers, and consortiums working on news sustainability and trusted information.

  5. Does the call support AI?

    • Yes, especially where AI helps improve media services, recommendation quality, trust, or sustainability.

  6. Is this only for publishers?

    • No. It also fits media tech firms, research groups, and collaborative platforms.

  7. Why is metadata important here?

    • Metadata improves discoverability, accountability, interoperability, and content valuation across media systems.

Conclusion

This European Commission call is aimed at solving a major challenge for modern journalism: how to remain financially sustainable while still serving the public with trustworthy information. The strongest proposals will combine technical innovation, media-sector relevance, and measurable impact on both trust and revenue.

For more information, visit European Commission.