European Cooperation Projects

Supports small and medium scale transnational collaborative projects in Creative Europe countries. 

• Small scale cooperation projects (minimum 3 partners from 3 different eligible countries)
• Medium scale cooperation projects (minimum 5 partners from 5 different eligible countries)

Projects can cover one or more cultural and creative sectors and can be interdisciplinary.

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

What is the purpose of the funding?

European Cooperation Projects are transnational projects involving organisations in the cultural and creative sectors from different countries. They give cultural organisations of all sizes, including microorganisations and small-sized organisations, the possibility to co-produce, cooperate, experiment, innovate, be mobile and learn from each other.

The action aims:

• to improve access to European culture and creative works and to promote innovation and creativity. Projects can cover one or more cultural and creative sectors and can be interdisciplinary
• to foster broader participation and ensure that cultural cooperation reflects Europe’s diversity, applicants are encouraged to involve organisations from the EU’s outermost regions and overseas countries and territories linked to the EU Member States, as well as from peripheral and rural areas, wherever relevant to the project

The proposals should also demonstrate how they contribute to the EU overarching priorities and clearly articulate how the transnational cooperation projects will help implement the guiding principles of the Culture Compass by — for example — enhancing access to diverse cultural expressions, promoting artistic freedom, harnessing digital and green transitions in the cultural and creative sectors, and contributing to inclusive growth and European solidarity.

In the context of russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Call will support Ukrainian artists and cultural operators to showcase their work and support the Ukrainian displaced population in accessing culture. The participation of Ukrainian organisations is encouraged and will reinforce the preparation for the post-war recovery of the cultural and creative sectors.

The quality of cooperation, including the history of collaboration between organisations and the integration of new organisations in a partnership are key aspects of European Cooperation Projects.

Cross-border collaboration and mobility are central both to artists’ careers and to developing a European cultural space fostering connections and dialogue between creative professionals and with citizens. It also serves as a catalyst for competitiveness and accessing new markets, allows cultural and creative works to circulate more freely across borders and reach wider audiences, and stimulates growth and scale of Europe’s creative economy.

Applicants are also encouraged to seek cooperations with partners from European Neighbourhood Policy countries not associated to the programme as associated partners through their projects.

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

Support available for

Support will be given to projects addressing one of the following objectives:

Objective 1 – Transnational creation and circulation: to strengthen the transnational creation and circulation of European works and artists.

Transnational creation and circulation are important for the advancement of collaborations, increased outreach and in many cases necessary for the viability and development of cultural organisations, institutions and individuals. Co-production is also a tool to stimulate creativity, share resources and facilitate the trans-national distribution of content and the circulation of artists. Projects will integrate new and creative ways of producing and disseminating content.

Objective 2 – Innovation: to enhance the capacity of European cultural and creative sectors to nurture talents, to innovate, to prosper and to generate jobs and growth.

Projects responding to this objective should be of capacity-building nature. Innovation should be understood in a broad sense. Innovations can be of technological and artistic nature; they may include the joint creation and production of innovative European works and their dissemination to a wide and diverse audience.

Innovations also include the development and experimentation of new practices or models, as well as the transfer and dissemination of innovative practices from more advanced European regions or sectors or disciplines to other regions in Europe.

Areas of innovation can encompass a social or societal dimension, such as: audience engagement/development, working conditions of artists, gender equality, the inclusion of people with disabilities, people belonging to minorities and people belonging to socially marginalised groups, fighting climate change, digitisation and AI for the benefit of creativity and creators, etc., as well as culture’s contribution to health and well-being.

European Cooperation Projects are also designed to contribute to the implementation of emerging EU policy initiatives such as the New European Bauhaus.

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

Brief summary of Cooperation Projects by Scale

Small Scale Cooperation projects 2026:

• The consortium most be composed of minimum 3 entities from 3 different eligible countries
• The maximum EU grant amount is of €200,000 per project
• The funding rate is of maximum 80%

Small-scale projects are particularly suitable to promote the access of grassroots organisations and support these organisations in the creation of new partnerships and development of new activities and innovative ideas such as festivals, art fairs, exhibitions, performances, etc.

Medium Scale Cooperation Projects 2026:

• The consortium most be composed of minimum 5 entities from 5 different eligible countries
• The maximum EU grant amount is of €1,000,000 per project
• The funding rate is of maximum 70%

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

Who can apply?

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  • Creative Europe Participating Countries:
    • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
    • non-EU countries: listed EEA countries and countries associated with the Creative Europe Programme (list of participating countries).

The coordinator must have had a legal existence for at least 2 years on the date of the deadline for submission.

An organisation, as identified by their PIC number, can apply only once as coordinator under the call, regardless of the topic chosen (COOP 1 or 2).

An organisation, as identified by their PIC number, can be part of a maximum of 3 applications submitted in this call, whether as coordinator and/or partner regardless of the topic chosen (COOP 1 or 2).

❗️N.B.: Affiliated entities and associated partners do not count towards the minimum eligibility criteria for consortium composition, including the maximum number of applications in which they can participate.

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

How much can you apply for?

The total available call budget is € 60,273,174.

• For the Small Scale: maximum EU grant amount € 200,000 per project.
• For the Medium Scale: maximum EU grant amount € 1,000,000 per project.

The information on this page is for general information purposes only. For full details please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026.

How can you apply?

• Please read the European Cooperation Projects 2026 call document in order to check eligibility and requirements
• Applications are processed through the European Commission's Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal (F&TP)
• Detailed information on how to access the F&T Portal