* This call is now closed *
Are you a Business Support Organization, Foundation, Incubator, or NGO? Do you have an idea aimed at facilitating regional cooperation in the cultural and creative industries in the Southern Mediterranean?
Apply now to the CREACT4MED call for proposals to enhance regional cooperation in the cultural and creative industries!
CREACT4MED, an EU-funded project which aims to strengthen businesses within the cultural and creative industries (CCI), offers direct financial support to non-profit organizations or Business support organizations (BSOs) for the implementation of activities to promote and enhance regional cooperation between Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia.
Interested candidates are now invited to submit their proposals for the CREACT4MED sub-grant. Applicants must be a legal entity with promising ideas for boosting cooperation in the Southern Mediterranean.
Objectives of the call
The overarching goal of this call for proposals is to bolster regional cooperation in the Southern Mediterranean. This call seeks to provide support to Business Support Organizations, foundations, incubators, or NGOs actively engaged in the cultural and creative industries, empowering them to undertake initiatives that foster cross-border collaboration among stakeholders in the creative and cultural sectors. The ultimate aim is to enhance cultural and creative businesses’ and entrepreneurs’ capacity for expansion and job creation, particularly benefiting young individuals and women.
The specific objectives of the call are:
1. To Promote Cross-Border Networking and Partnerships: to foster collaboration and partnerships between creative and cultural industry stakeholders and businesses across different Southern Mediterranean regions.
2. To Stimulate Cultural and Creative Collaborations: to support and promote cultural and creative collaborations within the Southern Mediterranean, driving innovation and fostering a dynamic cultural exchange that transcends geographical boundaries.
3. Facilitate Internationalization of CCI Companies: to assist creative and cultural industry (CCI) companies in the Southern Mediterranean in expanding their reach internationally.
The expected maximum duration of funded activities is 3 months (including design and implementation) plus 1 month for reporting.
Support will be given to activities such as: Cross-Border Networking Events, Collaborative Workshops, Cultural Exchange Programs, International Exhibitions and Festivals, Capacity-Building programs (mentoring, coaching, workshops), etc.
A maximum of €7,500 each will be awarded to up to 10 NGOs, Business Support Organisations, or incubators across the target countries, in the form of reimbursement of 90% of costs incurred (hence a maximum grant amount of 6.750 EUR).
Eligibility
To be eligible for funding under this call applicants must:
- Be registered to the CREACT4MED Community Platform.
- Be a legal entity located and officially registered in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine or Tunisia and legally established at least 2 years before the application (before November 2021)
- Be non-profit making or a business support organization not making profit from this action.
- Be active in the cultural and creative industries & have experience supporting entrepreneurs, artists and other actors from the CCI.
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary.
- Have sufficient technical, financial and managerial capacity to absorb and manage an EU grant.
Application process
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 completing the following online application form and submitting the required documents using the templates available at https://creativemediterranean.org:
- Proposal Outline (Activity Plan & Financial Proposal)
- Signed declaration of honor on exclusion criteria and selection criteria
- De-minimis self-declaration
- Registration document(S)
Optional attachments:
a. Certificate of participation to a training/capacity building program relevant to the implementation of the proposal
b. Collaboration agreement(s) with other stakeholders
Applications must be completed by December 15th 2023.
Deadline Extended: 31st December 2023
Applications must be submitted in English, as 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 on how to apply.
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
- 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
Is something not clear? Check our FAQ
Is it possible to apply to the call as a consortium?
Applicants are invited to collaborate with other entities for the implementation of the project. However, applications must be sent by a single applicant who will be the sole responsible for the implementation of the funded action and will incur all the costs related to the grant (i.e. it is not possible for the beneficiaries to transfer funds to their collaborators as part of the sub-grant agreement).
We are confused about the maximum grant contribution. Is it 40K EUR or 7.5K EUR per project?
The maximum grant contribution is 90% of the total budget for the action, and the maximum budget that can be requested for each action is 7.500 EUR. This means that the maximum grant contribution per project will be 6.750 EUR.
40.000 EUR is the total amount available for all the projects funded under this call.
We are thinking to organize a collaboration with our partners in France. Is this eligible under the call?
Yes, it is possible to collaborate with stakeholders in Europe, but please note that you will act as the sole applicant and will be the only responsible party for the implementation of the sub-grant. However, please note that the objective is to create cooperation in the Southern Mediterranean, so selected proposals must benefit entrepreneurs from at least 2 of the target countries (i.e. Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia).
Can MSMEs apply to the call?
In this occasion, entities applying for funding must be Business Support Organizations, foundations, incubators, or NGOs, as indicated in the guidelines for application. The idea is that funded initiatives will benefit a group of SMEs or startups, not just one.