The call has been open since 30 September 2026. The deadline is 1 December 2026.
The Creative Europe MEDIA call CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVSLATE funds the development of a slate, meaning a package of 3 to 5 audiovisual works (animation, creative documentary or fiction) by a European independent production company. It is managed by EACEA.
The call at a glance
- Programme: Creative Europe, MEDIA strand.
- Call: CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVSLATE, European slate development.
- Managing body: EACEA, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, with applications submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Deadline and timetable
The deadline is 1 December 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time). It cannot be extended.
- Opening: 30 September 2026
- Evaluation: December 2026 to April 2027
- Results: May 2027
- Grant Agreement signature (the contract with the Commission): August 2027
The call is subject to the final adoption of the 2027 EU budget and may be modified or cancelled.
Budget and co-financing
The estimated total budget is EUR 22,374,320. The requested grant per project ranges from EUR 90,000 to EUR 510,000; the amount awarded may be lower. Duration is normally up to 36 months.
The grant is a lump sum, meaning a fixed amount tied to completing the activities rather than to documented expenses. Each work has a fixed amount, depending on its type and production budget:
- Animation: EUR 55,000 (one-off) or EUR 60,000 (series).
- Creative documentary: EUR 30,000 (one-off) or EUR 35,000 (series).
- Fiction, one-off: EUR 45,000 (production budget up to EUR 5 million) or EUR 60,000 (above EUR 5 million).
- Fiction, series: EUR 55,000 (up to EUR 5 million), EUR 75,000 (above EUR 5 million and up to EUR 20 million) or EUR 100,000 (above EUR 20 million).
- Short film: EUR 10,000.
The funding rate is not stated in the call: it is set in the Grant Agreement (Data Sheet) and needs to be checked. Prefinancing is normally about 70% of the maximum amount, paid 30 days after the agreement enters into force (or after the guarantee, if required); there are no interim payments. The grant cannot generate a profit.
How to apply
- Online only, through the Funding & Tenders Portal. An EU Login account and the 9-digit PIC (the organisation identifier in the Portal) are needed.
- Part A (administrative and budget data, online), Part B (technical description, maximum 70 pages, template uploaded as PDF) and Part C (additional data and KPIs, online).
- Mandatory annexes: film information from the Creative Europe MEDIA Database, Creative Dossier (mandatory template), rights contracts and proof of ownership (including adaptation rights), declaration on independence and European ownership, declaration on the language of materials. If available: co-production, distribution and financing documents.
- One work package per work (mandatory), plus one for the optional short film.
Evaluation criteria
- Relevance: maximum 35 points (market added value of the slate 15, innovation 10, sustainability 5, gender balance and inclusion 5)
- Quality of content and activities: maximum 30 points (creative quality 15, international reach and cross-border potential 15)
- Project management: maximum 20 points (development strategy 10, financing strategy 10)
- Dissemination: maximum 15 points (early marketing 5, European and international distribution plan 10)
- Overall minimum score: 70 out of 100. There are no thresholds for individual criteria.
In case of a tie, the order is Relevance, then Dissemination, then Quality of content.
Who can take part
- A European independent audiovisual production company, established in a country fully participating in the MEDIA strand and owned, directly or indirectly, mainly by nationals of those countries. Its main activity must be audiovisual production.
- Independent means not controlled by an audiovisual media service provider (control is presumed above 25% of the capital held by a single provider, or 50% if there are several).
- A single applicant, no consortium. Affiliated entities are allowed if needed.
- Track record: the applicant has produced two works since 2020, each at least 24 minutes long (no minimum for immersive works) and commercially released in at least three countries other than the applicant’s own, as sole producer, majority co-producer or delegate producer. Festivals do not count.
- The slate includes 3 to 5 works (animation, creative documentary or fiction), plus an optional short film by an emerging talent.
Please note: each applicant can submit only one proposal in this call. As coordinator, only one application can be submitted across CODEV, DEVSLATE, DEVMINISLATE and DEVVGIM 2027: if several arrive, only the one with the earliest deadline is evaluated. Those who received a 2026 DEVSLATE or DEVMINISLATE grant cannot apply. The first day of principal photography must be scheduled at least 10 months after the deadline. By the deadline you need signed contracts with the authors covering at least a concept, treatment, script or bible, and the majority of rights in each work. Excluded works include, among others, TV entertainment formats (talk shows, reality, cooking shows), tourism documentaries, music videos and video games. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or to conditionality measures (Regulation 2020/2092) cannot take part.
Objectives
The call supports the competitiveness of European independent production companies, increases their market weight and fosters cross-border circulation and European and international co-production. The optional short film gives an emerging talent a first directing opportunity with experienced producers.
Priorities and eligible activities
- Updated creative development (treatment, script, bible, episode outline).
- Research and visual material, key artistic crew and casting.
- Updated financing plans, production budgets and schedules.
- Early distribution and marketing strategies, co-development between countries, sustainable practices, gender balance and inclusion.
Target groups
- European and international audiences of the works developed
- Authors, directors and emerging talents
- The European audiovisual market and distributors
The official call document is available here: before applying, I recommend checking the official Funding & Tenders Portal page for updates and FAQs.