Creative Industries & Leveraging Companies Call (2025)

Creative Industries & Leveraging Companies Call (2025) is sponsored by Business Finland. This call offers grants for R&D projects within the creative industries. SMEs must cover at least 50% of the costs.

Funding call for companies in the creative industries and companies that leverage the creative industries Companies in the tourism industry Companies in the tourism industry Funding call for companies in the creative industries and companies that leverage the creative industries If you think your company and project fit this call, first answer the questions in the call notice and submit your answers via email to Business Finland to luovat (at) businessfinland.

fi. We will contact you. Coaching discussions are ongoing.

luovat@businessfinland. fi Watch recording with English subtitles. Business Finland's funding is used to increase the research and development (R&D) intensity of the creative industries.

Business Finland's funding is used to increase the research and development (R&D) intensity of the creative industries. Target group / Who can apply Business Finland's funding is used to increase the research and development (R&D) intensity of the creative industries. R&D funding for creative industries is targeted at companies in the creative sector as well as companies that utilize creative know-how.

Amount of funding granted in the call With EUR 9 million of funding, Business Finland promotes the growth and renewal of the creative economy and of the sector’s value added through R&D activities.

The aim of the research and development funding provided by Business Finland for the creative industries is to promote the renewal and international competitiveness of companies in the sector by supporting ambitious research and development projects.

The funding is used to share the risks in innovative projects that develop new know-how, business models, and technologies that can achieve a significant competitive advantage in international markets. The funding also encourages companies in other industries to utilize creative know-how in their projects, creating cross-sectoral growth opportunities and new solutions to global challenges.

Project grants in the creative industries are awarded on the basis of the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001), the Government Decree on the Financing of Research, Development, and Innovation Activities (1444/2014) and the state budget. The funding is competitive and discretionary.

From the perspective of business development, the business arising from creative know-how and creative industries can be divided into three themes. The breakdown is based on the Creative Economy Network breakdown of the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), which has been used in Finland in various contexts since 2012.

Business Finland also views the creative industries from a business perspective as follows: Content that can be duplicated More information: Funding to promote research and development in the creative industries The development of competitive advantage is at the heart of research and development.

Research and development funding can be applied for projects in which the solution being researched and developed aims to achieve a competitive advantage in a selected international market. The project's focus on research and the size of the company both affect the amount of funding. For research-oriented projects , the grant is 50% for SMEs and 40% for midcap/large companies.

The minimum grant amount is EUR 50,000, in which case the total cost of the project is EUR 100,000. Aid can be granted for critical research activities that aim at least to acquire new information in the relevant sector and create capabilities for later development, but that do not yet result in a finished product or service. For development-oriented projects , the grant is 35% for SMEs and 25% for midcap companies.

The development projects of large companies are financed with a loan (up to 50%). The minimum grant amount is EUR 50,000, in which case the total cost of the project is EUR 143,000. Development-oriented projects significantly renew existing products, services, production methods, and business models or develop entirely new ones.

Companies from other industries can apply for funding for projects where the know-how of the creative industries is essential for achieving an international competitive advantage. In this case, purchased services based on creative know-how must account for at least 40% of the project's cost estimates.

General conditions for applicants The company employs a dedicated team in which at least one person has a full-time job developing the business, and the team has complementary expertise from members in other areas. We do not grant funding to single-person businesses. At a minimum, the team must be composed of, for example, one full-time (100%) employee and two part-time employees working 50% of their full-time hours in Finland.

People must already be working for the company when the funding is applied for. For example, having a CEO working full-time (100%) and two other people working part-time (50% each) fulfills the minimum team requirement. Sufficient financial resources for the project and the business during the project.

Typical obstacles to awarding the grant *Research and development funding cannot be granted to a company that faces difficulties according to the EU definition. See also other obstacles to funding With regard to the content of the funded projects, the key evaluation criteria are their innovative nature and the impact of the expected results on the international competitiveness of the Finnish creative industry.

When making its decisions, Business Finland always evaluates the company’s business as a whole: innovativeness assessed at least at the national level, competitive advantage produced by the solution, the team, and the adequacy of funding. We will also assess the applicant’s expertise and ability to implement the project as well as the implementation plan of the project.

All companies that meet the minimum criteria will not automatically receive funding. Even if a project has appropriate total funding, resources and plans, the granting of funding also requires that carrying out the project would be impossible without the grant or that it could only be carried out much more slowly or on a smaller scale.

Funding terms and conditions The funding terms and conditions for companies research and development (pdf) describe the costs that Business Finland can fund, how we monitor your project costs, and how you should report on the progress of your project. We accept costs at the earliest from the date of submitting the application to Business Finland.

Instructions for applying Before submitting the application Before applying for R&D funding via the online application system, we ask you to provide concise answers to the preliminary questions below (max. 2 A4 pages). Your answers will enable Business Finland’s expert to advise your company when planning a project/application.

E-mail your response to luovat (at) businessfinland. fi with the subject line “Company call. ” Our experts will get back to you as soon as possible.

The company's current status Annual turnover and a description of how the business during the project will be funded What is the problem to be solved? What is the proposed solution? Who is the end user of the solution?

What are the target countries and on what basis have they been selected? What other competing options have you identified in the targeted international market? What is the competitive advantage of your solution?

What does the project’s self-financing consist of? Concrete project description: What kinds of work packages does the project consist of? Also describe the purchased services and human resources required for the project.

What are the concrete and measurable objectives of the project? What is the company's financial plan for international market expansion? Estimate the project’s target turnover (in euros) for the international market.

**Submitting the application The mandatory attachment forms required for the application, along with their instructions: Research, development, and piloting for SMEs and midcaps , under the section " Apply for funding ". After submitting the application All applications will be processed after the application period has ended, and information on decisions for the company call will be available in September 2026.

Basic information of the application is filled in the funding e-service. ** Added on February 2, 2026: section "Submitting the application" *Specified on January 29, 2026: A company that is not eligible for funding under the section "Typical obstacles to awarding the grant". How easy was it to assess the suitability of the funding?

Did you find the information you were looking for? How easy was it to find the information?