Media Innovation Fund
THE 2024 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS IS NOW OPEN!
The EBU Media Innovation Fund is now accepting applications for the 2024 cycle.
IMPORTANT CHANGE IN 2024, the MIF - Radio Fund rules have been updated. The objective is to support greater creativity and flexibility for submitted projects.
For projects in the radio domain, any application that meets the eligibility criteria will be considered. However, for 2024, the Radio Committee will give priority to applications that align with one of the following focus areas:
- Content-driven proposals that relate to new formats targeting teen audiences (14–19-year-olds), that deal with a pressing global challenge (climate, politics, etc) or that leverage the power of audio providers coming together to have a societal impact;
- Proposals that relate to in-car audio, solving a demonstrated user problem when it comes to radio and/or podcasts in connected cars.
You will find more information in the updated rules document.
For radio innovation projects, please use this application form (.docx) and send your applications to EBU Project Manager Maïlys Nicolet.
For digital innovation projects, please use this application form (.docx) and send your applications to EBU Media Project Manager Hamdhoon Rashad.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
In 2024, the Media Innovation Fund is after two types of projects:
- For radio projects with editorial, content, or distribution innovation send your applications or questions to Maïlys Nicolet
- For digital innovation projects that work towards improving, reinventing, or creating digital-led solutions used in an app, widget, plug-in, website, prototype or formats that will not only benefit your organization but the EBU community at large, send your applications or questions to Hamdhoon Rashad.
WINNING PROJECTS 2023 (DIGITAL)
AMPTV (Armenia): Alter Ego
This project will create AI avatars and AI tools to integrate artificial intelligence into a TV show to help audiences understand the impact of modern technology, especially AI. This project will put an individual face-to-face with their alter selves via AI technologies in an engaging interview format. The project will be originally created for YouTube and will transform into a traditional TV format.
DR (Denmark): Reviving an Icon: Grundtvig AI
This project will bring back a notable Danish historical figure to life as a realistic digital version via AI offering audiences a different way of engaging and interacting with him. Using the latest cutting-edge technologies to allow people to interact with the ‘philosopher of Danishness’, the Grundtvig chatbot will ‘come to life’ beyond a computer in a way that would be engaging to a wider audience than a sole keyboard and screen-based interface.
RTVSlo (Slovenia): Use of AI in creating news for different platforms
This project aims to integrate artificial intelligence tools into news production and adapt them into various platforms with the goal of having AI prepare concise news content for different platforms with a journalist overseeing the accuracy of the news content. The objective of this project is to address the challenge of time efficiency and allow journalists to focus on more essential tasks.
SR (Sweden) and FTV (France): Public Service Algorithm (PSA)
A project to create a Public Service algorithm that provides reassurances to audiences that selected PSM news content meets industry standards for credible, trustworthy, and verified information. The project will strengthen the ability of PSM to deliver high-quality, trusted news and information to European citizens searching for credible content. This project is part of “A European Perspective”, the digital news recommendation service created by the EBU in collaboration with its members.
Winning project 2023 (Radio)
Bayerischer Rundfunk (Germany) : NOIR AI
This project will use AI to develop a radio crime drama. AI will be integrated at each step of the creation process, from production to story development, by way of recording and postproduction. The objective of this project is to understand where the current AI applications can be helpful and where they make the work harder. The final podcast will help understand how AI can support the radio production landscape in the future.
Have a look at the project's report to learn more.
Projects in development
We have numerous projects that are currently in development, if you'd like to get in touch with any of the project owners, please let us know.
VRT (Belgium), Yle (Finland) and DR (Denmark): EURoblox
For the first time since we launched the fund, 3 Members will collab from the start to build inter-connected worlds in Roblox
Watch Gregg Young (VRT) present the project during the 2022 Digital Media Day.
OMROEP ZWART: HQ in the Metaverse
One of our newest EBU Members are looking at building their HQ in the Metaverse.
Watch Akwasi Ansah (OMROEP ZWART) mention the project in his opening keynote speech during the 2022 Digital Media Day.
Completed Projects
To give applicants or prospective applicants an idea of what the fund is about, we’re really happy to share some summaries of previously funded projects that have now been completed. These are not all the projects that have been completed, but the most recent ones (from 2019).
BR (Germany): Drive by Bavaria
BR have worked to populate its Radio app with rich Bavarian history from its archives, so that users will have audio content for specific regions as soon as they are getting close to them (geolocalization), especially when approaching signs along the motorway indicating places of interest. The project aims at evaluating the acceptance of location-based content and providing EBU Members with a proof of concept regarding the location-based distribution of content. The team have also secured that “Drive by Bavaria” will be accessible in several in-car-entertainment stores. You can read their final project report and contact the team for more.
Watch Florian Thoma & Martin Zöller (BR) speak about the project and the developments they've made during the 2021 Digital Media x New Radio Days.
BR (Germany): Munchen '72 Social VR (2022)
"Munich 72" is an immersive experience in Social VR, which provides a documentary insight into the 1972 Olympic Games and the tragedy of the Munich massacre. With this project, BR want to open up the worlds of Social VR for public service content: technically, curatorial and journalistically. The project has also won two won two awards at Raindance Immersive 2022 for "Best Debut" and "Best Immersive Experience for Social Impact".
Read more about the project on their one-pager and watch Matthias Leitner, Eva Deinert, and Annick Buhr (BR) speak about the project and the developments they've made during the 2022 Digital Media Day.
NRK (Norway): Audience Interaction on Radio Apps (2022)
How can the traditional “calls from the audience” be brought into the digital era? How can audience interaction be used to enhance the advantages of live radio, and at the same time add value to audiences in an on-demand or podcast setting? How can the feeling of togetherness be achieved without having to moderate free-form comments on a large scale? These are the questions that the NRK Audience team is working to answer through their project. Interactive features integrated into the NRK Radio app/website will include ways in which the listeners can interact with the studio, with each other and with the content, both in a live setting and for on-demand audio.
Read more about the project on their detailed report and watch Marrit Rossnes, Project Owner (NRK), talking about the project and recent developments at the 2021 Digital Media x New Radio Days.
VPRO (Netherlands): Archive for the Future (2022)
A rich and large archive of audiovisual content for one of VPRO’s oldest documentary series. VPRO plans to work closely with the National Archive for Sound and Vision and other partners to apply the latest artificial intelligence (AI). interventions to create innovative archival applications and connections. You can read more about their project in a one-page document that they have prepared.
Watch Bregtje van der Haak (VPRO) speak about the project and the developments they've made during the 2021 Digital Media x New Radio Days.
NRK (Norway): Design Tools (2022)
NRK’s new design profile, implemented in code, and utilized in tools for designers, developers and content producers. They’re in the process of implementing the design as code and this project will function as a pilot and proof of concept. You can read more about their project in a one-page document that they have prepared. Final report coming soon.
ORF (Austria): Musikprotokoll Dynamic Streaming (2022)
In 2021, the musikprotokoll offered dynamic streaming of its concerts. Listeners’ head movements are tracked in real time, altering the spatial reproduction of what is heard – the result is an astonishingly realistic acoustic experience.
Watch Frank Zimmer speak about the project during the 2021 Digital Media x New Radio Days. You can also read a detailed report on their approach and learnings as well as visit a dedicated website for EBU Members.
BBC (United Kingdom): Adaptive Podcasting (2022)
The BBC R&D team has built an app that uses object-based audio to create a better podcasting experience for the listener. They've created a simple editor and made some source code available for EBU Members.
Watch Ian Forrester, BBC R&D Project Owner, talk about the work during the 2021 Digital Media x New Radio Day and take a look at the special session on adaptive podcasting that took place in April 2022.
VRT (Belgium): Synthetic Voices (2022)
The team at VRT is working to create an environment to experiment with all aspects of storytelling with a voice service. This will include — but is not limited to — the creation of a convincing, recognizable voice, setting a tone of voice, adjusting timbre and using dialects.
You can read the full detailed report and the process overview that the team at VRT put together.
RTS (Serbia): Synthi 100 (2018; completed in 2022)
The team at RTS (Serbia) has been working on collecting, digitizing, and curating 100 sounds from the mighty EMS Synthi 100 (a large analog/digital hybrid synthesizer made by Electronic Music Studios Ltd). These sounds are available to EBU Members to use, experiment, and play around with. You can explore the database and all the sounds on the Synthi Radio website; you can use your EBU log-ins to download the files!
BR (Germany): Smart Radio, Smart Conversations (2019)
- Creating better, more emotional conversations with radio hosts over the smart audio device
- Hybrid of broadcast radio and conversational smart audio connectivity
- Embraced the complementary strength of simulcast radio and new features that can be used on smart speakers
- Open-source code available for EBU Members
Check out the report.
NPO (Netherlands): Radio 1 To-Go Pilot (2019)
- NPO radio stations produce a large amount of on-demand content, but it is difficult for users to find the content they want
- Personalizing what the user’s favorite topics are then filtering the choices into a customized playlist from NPO Radio 1 programmes
Check out the report.
Radio France (France): La Récré à Sons (2018; completed in 2022)
An audio skill for smart speakers, designed for kids (from 4 years old) and their family, in a secure environment. It is a new way to discover and browse a consistent catalog of contents, in all audio genres: bed time stories, music, education, information, gathered around 3 main themes:
- Listening Stories
- Learning Things
- Listening Music
There are 350 episodes available, from famous radio shows but also original podcasts produced by the channels of Radio France. You can check out the report for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
We've put together some of the questions we get asked regularly to help our Members better understand what we're after.
Q: Who can apply? I work for an organization that is considered an “Associate Member” or “Approved Participant”. Can I still apply?
A: The Media Innovation Fund is currently set up for Members (aka Active Members) only. Should this change we'll make sure to inform you.
Q: What exactly do you mean by “Media Innovation” or “Innovation Projects”?
A: We’re after a project that works towards improving, reinventing, or creating solutions to be used in an app, widget, plug-in, website, prototype or formats that will not only benefit your organization but the EBU community at large. A project can be experimental as long as it is measurable, has well-defined goals, and a structured timeline.
Q: What do you mean by impact and shareability?
A: Impact is our biggest driver for expanding the Media Innovation Fund. Our main goal is to find projects that can benefit other Members more practically. This means being able to share knowledge beyond a presentation or report such as open source solutions, detailed how-to manuals, or clear and replicable processes.
You can find additional questions and answers here.
RULES AND APPLICATION FORMS
Please take a look at the 2024 rules (.pdf) before submitting your application.
Digital projects: download the application form (.docx)
Radio projects: download the application form (.docx)
The Fund is under the supervision of the Radio Committee and Digital Committee and is being managed by a working group from within the EBU.