Digital News Initiative (DNI) Innovation Fund 2018

Applications are open for Round 5 of Digital News Initiative Innovation Fund. The Digital News Initiative (DNI) Innovation Fund has been created to support innovation in digital news journalism. DNI is a partnership between Google and publishers in Europe to support high-quality journalism through technology and innovation.

The fund is Google’s €150m commitment to spark new thinking and give European news organisations of all sizes the space to try some new things, experiment and innovate in the digital space. It is designed to provide no-strings-attached funding to those in the news industry looking for some room—and budget—to experiment. Since its introduction in 2015, the Digital News Initiative Innovation Fund has offered more than €90 million to more than 460 ambitious projects in digital journalism, across 29 countries.

There are three categories of funding available:

• Prototype (up to €50k of funding)
• Medium (up to €300k of funding)
• Large (between €300k and €1 million in funding).

Eligibility

• The Fund is open to established publishers, online-only players, news startups, collaborative partnerships and individuals based in the EU and EFTA countries.
• They are looking for projects that demonstrate new thinking in the practice of digital journalism, support the development of new business models, or even change the way people consume digital news.
• Projects can be highly experimental, but must have well-defined goals and have a significant digital component.
• Successful projects will show innovation and have a positive impact on the production of original digital journalism and on the long-term sustainability of the news business.

Official Link

Deadline: 9th April 2018