Creative Europe 2026 European Cooperation Projects call is open

If your organisation is planning a transnational cultural project, the new Creative Europe 2026 European Cooperation Projects call is one of the main opportunities to look at this year. The call supports cooperation between cultural and creative organisations from different countries that want to work together on shared ideas, reach wider audiences, and build stronger international partnerships. This year’s call includes two categories: Small Scale and Medium Scale projects. The overall budget available is €60.27 million and applications must be submitted by 5 May 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time). The action is expected to support around 150 projects.

What kind of projects are supported?

European Cooperation Projects are meant for organisations that want to collaborate across borders through culture. Depending on the project idea, proposals should focus on one of two directions: either strengthening the transnational creation and circulation of European works and artists or supporting innovation and capacity-building in the cultural and creative sectors. Applicants must choose one of these two objectives when applying. In practical terms, this could include activities such as artistic collaboration, audience development, skills-building, mobility, knowledge exchange or new ways of engaging communities through culture.

Small Scale or Medium Scale?

The call is divided into two project types.

• Small Scale Projects require at least 3 organisations from 3 different eligible countries. The maximum EU grant is €200,000, with funding covering up to 80% of the total eligible budget.
• Medium Scale Projects require at least 5 organisations from 5 different eligible countries. The maximum EU grant is €1,000,000, with funding covering up to 70% of the total eligible budget.

A few important things to keep in mind

There are a couple of rules that organisations should be aware of early on. An organisation can apply only once as coordinator under this call. It can also be involved in a maximum of 3 applications in total, whether as coordinator or partner. The coordinator must also have existed legally for at least 2 years by the deadline. Another point worth noting is that although the call is open to many cultural and creative sectors, projects made up exclusively of audiovisual content are not the main target of this funding line.

More information on the programme and open calls can be found here:

• European Commission news: 2026 Creative Europe call for European cooperation projects open
• Official call document: CREA-CULT-2026-COOP

Partnering with DOREA

With 14 years of experience in European projects, we can contribute to Creative Europe partnerships through:

• Capacity-building and educational design. We develop training content, workshops, learning resources, and participatory activities that can give a project a strong educational and capacity-building dimension.
• Work with diverse target groups. We have experience working with young people, adult learners, educators, migrants and refugees, and local communities, helping projects connect with different groups in meaningful and practical ways.
• Audience engagement and community participation. We design workshops, learning activities and dialogue-based formats that help projects involve people actively, not only as audiences but as participants.
• Communication and dissemination. We support projects in presenting their activities and results clearly, accessibly, and in ways that help them reach wider audiences and relevant stakeholders.

We would be glad to connect with organisations that are looking for partners, already preparing a proposal, or interested in discussing a joint project idea under these calls.