Call for cultural and creative business proposals

Do you have a start-up or small business active in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine or Tunisia? Are you looking to expand your business, launch new products or services, or introduce innovation into your operations?

Apply now to the CREACT4MED call for cultural and creative business proposals and benefit from funding and support to help CCI entrepreneurs, particularly women and young people, build competitive businesses and relevant connections.

CREACT4MED offers direct financial support to start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and civil society organisations (CSOs) based in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia to launch or expand products or services, implement internationalization, innovation or digitalization strategies, and/or increase social inclusion and job creation.

The specific objectives of this call are:

• To facilitate the development, launch and promotion of innovative business ideas in the CCI and improve access to local and international markets through the provision of funding and technical assistance services.
• To foster social inclusion and create job opportunities, particularly for women and young people, in the provision or preservation of cultural and creative goods, products or services.
• To create a hub to support young people and women involved in CCI entrepreneurship within the target countries, bringing together incubation, support, education, finance and other actors.

A maximum of €15,000 each will be awarded to up to 4 start-ups, MSMEs, or CSOs in each of the target countries, in the form of output-based unit costs. In addition to the funding, sub-grant beneficiaries will also benefit from the acceleration and incubation services implemented by CREACT4MED incubators.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding under this call applicants must:

• Be a legal entity registered in the commercial registry of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine or Tunisia after 2012.
• Be a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise or civil society organisation according to the definition in the country of registration
• Be active in the cultural and creative industries
• Be registered to the CREACT4MED Community Platform
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary

Please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants for full eligibility criteria.

Application process – please note that this call has now closed.

Registration to the CREACT4MED Community Platform is mandatory in order to apply to this call. A guide on how to register is included in the links below.

Interested candidates are invited to apply to this call by submitting the following documents using the templates available at https://creativemediterranean.org:

1. Application Form and Proposal Outline
2. Mandatory attachments:
   a. Signed declaration of honour on exclusion criteria and selection criteria
   b. De-minimis self-declaration
   c. Registration document (applicants unable to provide a registration document are requested in the Application Form to declare their commitment to register the company within the 30 days following the award of the sub-grant)
3. Optional attachments:
   a. Business Model Canvas or Pitch Deck
   b. Certificate of participation to a training/capacity building program relevant to the implementation of the proposal
   c. Collaboration agreement(s) with other stakeholders

Applications must be sent to creact4med@euromed-economists.org by:

• 24th August 2022 – For applicants from Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia
• 9th September 2022 – For applicants from Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine

Applications may be submitted in English or French, but the ability to communicate in English will be necessary in order to implement the funded projects.

Please read the Guidelines for Applicants below for important information on eligibility, deadlines, and instructions.

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CREACT4MED is an EU Project funded by the EuropeAid Programme and is focused on strengthening CCI businesses and job creation, giving support to entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs in particular, and targeting young people and women in the Southern Neighbourhood of the European Union.

Project full name: CReative Entrepreneurs ACTing FOR the future MEDiterranean

Grant agreement number: ENI/2019/412-505

Project website: https://creativemediterranean.org

Budget: 2,220,675 EUR – funded by the EU Commission (90%)

Timeline of implementation: 1st March 2020 – 31st August 2024

Project coordinator: Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA)

CREACT4MED mission and goals:

• Boost CCI businesses and entrepreneurship in the Southern Mediterranean, increasing the capacity of CCI to attract investment, create jobs and foster inclusive economic growth.
• Empower current and potential entrepreneurs, in particular young people and women, to start or grow CCI businesses through tailored training and financing opportunities.
• Establish a regional CCI hub to bring together actors from North Africa, the Middle East and Europe, strengthening networking, exchanges and cooperation in the sector across the Mediterranean.

Project partners and associates

• Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA) (Coordinator)
• Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED)
• European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
• Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED)
• Redstart Tunisia
• Confédération méditerranéenne pour le développement (MED Confederation)
• Beyond Group
• Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (LUMSA Università)
• Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME)
• Positive Agenda Advisory
• Womenpreneur