Support for innovation and digital transformation
Find here all the support mechanisms and support modalities for innovation and digital transformation.
For artists: support for creation in a digital environment
Are you an artist and creating in a digital environment?
The network Hacnum national network of hybrid arts and digital cultures, supported by the Ministry of Culture, proposes resources to support the ecosystem of creation in digital environment.
Download here the guide to creative assistance in a digital environment (pdf) , produced by the Hacnum network with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
To go further, find below the description of the aid schemes operated by the Ministry of Culture or its public institutions.
CHIMERES (Création – Hybridation – Immersion – Mobilités: Expériences et Recherches en Ecritures Scéniques) is an accompanying program for writing and artistic experimentation up to pre-production. It offers artists from all fields of contemporary creation (theatre, circus, music, dance, visual arts, literature, cinema, design, graphic design, architecture, crafts, etc.) and creators from other worlds. (video game, code, virtual and augmented reality, etc.) explore so-called hybrid art forms in the sense that they connect the physical and digital worlds.
This fund is intended to support innovative audiovisual works based on an interactive and/or immersive creative approach.
This aid fund, managed by the CNC, is dedicated to projects in first free distribution on the Internet.
The objective of this fund is to support the creation and dissemination of cinematographic works, audiovisual, multimedia or video games contributing to a more faithful representation of the French reality and its components and to write a common history of the entire French population around the values of the Republic.
This fund aims to support artistic creations using digital technologies. It is aimed at artists who have a practice in a discipline and use digital techniques in a significant way, as well as artists who use digital techniques specifically.
Direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine du Conseil Régional Centre-Val de Loire et les services de la Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Centre-Val de Loire (Ministry of Culture) propose jointly an annual call for projects based on two axes:
- multidisciplinary digital creation (audiovisual and digital projects, films, devices, etc.)
- the creation of resources and digital mediation tools.
The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (Drac) Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region support the appropriation of digital by cultural operators. The main objectives of the scheme are to facilitate the emergence of innovative digital cultural projects oriented towards new uses and expectations of audiences, while supporting the digital transformation of cultural operators.
To encourage the creation of innovative works by fostering synergies between artists, researchers and companies, a national competition will be launched.
It is aimed at creators from all disciplines of the Cultural and Creative Industries wishing to benefit from the support of researchers and develop artistic innovations that can find industrial outlets.
For cultural institutions and businesses: support for innovation
The Ministry of Culture supports innovative digital solutions developed by companies, start-ups and associations serving culture.
SNI is a financing and support system for innovative digital solutions designed to be tested. It is aimed at companies, start-ups, associations and research laboratories, in partnership with at least one cultural actor. Call for projects is aimed at solutions based on technologies that are not yet widely used in the field of culture or that could help create new digital uses for cultural actors.
The framework research agreement launched in December 2016 between the French Ministry of Culture and Inria aims to promote research and development (R&D) projects, in the Ministry’s partner institutions and to offer Inria teams use cases specific to the cultural field.
The heritage incubator supported by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux offers project promoters unique support in the field of heritage innovation.
As part of the strategy to accelerate the cultural and creative industries, future investment plans and the France 2030 plan, various calls for projects, competitions and funds are regularly open.
Operated by the caisse des dépôts, this call for projects is addressed to companies, associations or cultural operators carrying out a project of experimentation, improvement, innovation (incremental innovation)and even a technological break in favour of green alternatives for the benefit of the cultural sector. Its objectives include the emergence of more technical solutions and green processes in cultural practices, the generalization of these solutions and processes, and the promotion of new and more sustainable uses in the cultural sector. (template for application will be published shortly).
This call for projects is eligible for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is part of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan at the European level.
Ticketing is a strategic issue in the cultural field. This AMI operated by the caisse des dépôts promotes the development of open and sustainable infrastructure allowing to reserve and pay all the cultural offers of the territory The objective of this measure is to support projects allowing to:
- Develop sovereign, critical, multi-language, interoperable and multi-channel ticketing solutions that preserve the margins of cultural, public and private companies and institutions
- Increase the digital transformation of the sector through ticketing, which is a strategic link, by developing the interoperability of ticketing solutions, by promoting data sharing to increase cultural diversity and dissemination
- Enable smaller players to be equipped with efficient and simple ticketing solutions.
This call for projects is eligible for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is part of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan at the European level.
This call for projects operated by the Caisse des Dépôts aims to promote the development of new services and devices based on technological innovations, usage, organization or business model, enabling the emergence of new services throughout the value chain of the sectors concerned and the development of eco-responsibility of cultural actors. It is aimed at companies, public cultural institutions, or associations proposing either to accompany the maturation of projects with high development potential, capitalize on previously proven proof of concept, both in terms of technology and usage. It will be closed on 03/11/2022.
Operated by the Caisse des Dépôts and with a budget of 100 million euros, the AMI "Culture, Heritage and Digital" mainly aims to support the rapprochement of cultural institutions and partners from the private sector within "project companies" enhancing culture and heritage through digital.
The Tech & Touch fund operated by BPI France is a seed and risk capital fund dedicated to ICC startups. Tech & Touch invests in companies whose model is based on a creative dimension and content, on the one hand, and on a technological innovation, usage or business model on the other.
• Minority direct investments in startups: Seed Capital, Series A and Series B
• Indirect investments in cultural and creative industries.
In addition to financing and investment, Bpifrance has developed individual and collective services through sectoral experts adapted to the specific needs of CCIs. Thus, tailor-made acceleration programs, in partnership with key players in the ecosystem, have emerged: Fashion & Luxury, Video Games and Cinema and Audiovisual… These accelerators are built around 3 pillars: training, advice and networking to reveal their full potential.
Call for projects i-Nov innovation competition (Wave 9)
is a competition of excellence dedicated to innovative single-partner projects led by startups and SMEs and leading to the accelerated emergence of leading companies in their field that can claim a global scope. The call for projects «i-Nov Innovation Competition» allows to co-finance research, development and innovation projects whose total costs are between €1 million and €5 million, and whose duration is between 12 and 36 months.
The project must fit into one of the 4 themes detailed in the specifications: Digital; Health; Transport, mobility, cities and sustainable buildings; Energy, resources and natural environments.
It is operated by: Bpifrance and ADEME and will close on 22/03/2022.
As a link between the banking world and cultural and creative businesses, IFCIC offers:
• Cultural businesses, its financing solutions - bank guarantee and loan;
• Banks, its guarantee, co-financing capabilities and expertise in the specific risk of cultural enterprises.
The IFCIC guarantee applies to all types of bank loans: medium- and long-term loans, leases, guarantees, real estate loans, etc. Guaranteed loans are intended for all stages of their development. The guarantee allows to limit the amount of personal guarantees of the officers who may be requested by the bank. The beneficiary of the guarantee is the bank.
In addition to the bank guarantee, especially when it is not sufficient to obtain sufficient commitment from the banks, IFCIC can lend directly to cultural companies and associations. IFCIC’s lending activity is open to all cultural sectors.
Loans are generally intended to finance development needs (post start-up phase), particularly in the case of intangible expenditure. Depending on the type of projects financed, IFCIC loans can take on a participatory character, making it comparable to quasi-equity. Credit institution for all ICC sectors, created to compensate for the lack of banking by the sector’s players.
More general measures operated by the General Directorate of Media and Cultural Industries support entrepreneurship.
Through this call for projects, the Ministry of Culture wishes to strengthen its action in favour of cultural entrepreneurship and the professionalization of cultural entrepreneurs as well as its support to these support mechanisms whose missions are essential. These include incubators, incubators, accelerators, business incubators, co-working spaces, business clusters (clusters), third-party locations, Coopérative d'activités et d'emploi (CAEs), Pôles territoriaux de coopération économique (PTCE), Employer Groups (EGs) or professional networks and resource centres.
The IFCIC Entrepreneurship in Culture Award recognizes companies or associations that have developed a remarkable, innovative, original, responsible and/or sustainable business model or form of organization in the cultural sector. Its ambition is to highlight the creative entrepreneurial approaches of actors in the cultural sector and to support and amplify these initiatives.
It is awarded by IFCIC and the Ministry of Culture (Media and Cultural Industries Branch)
For public administrations and institutions: modernisation of information systems and applications
This device operated by the DINUM makes it possible to develop new digital tools allowing telework and work in mobility. Trainings in digital work methods of agents and supervisors are offered. The grant finances 75 to 100% of the project. It will end at the end of 2022.
This mechanism operated by DINUM promotes the sharing of data to improve the management of public policies. It aims to transform public action through digital and innovation. The grant funds 75 to 100% of the project and the application process is continuous.
Digital aids by cultural sector
Music
Innovation Support aims to support any type of company in the development, for application purposes, of technological innovation or service projects, to create value for professionals working in the field of activities supported by the National Music Centre, in accordance with the terms of 2° of Article 1 of Law No. 2019-1100 of 30 October 2019.
The Digital Transition Assistance is intended to support projects that contribute to the digital transition of businesses in the scope of activities supported by the NJC, enabling an increase or diversification of the company’s production or a fundamental change in the entire production process.
Book and Reading
The purpose of the grant to publishers for the publication of works is to support publishers taking economic risks in the framework of a quality, diversified and accessible editorial production. The works concerned may be published in print and/or digital format.
For digital publications, a complementary criterion relating to technical choices will be applied.
Support projects to create and develop audio book collections as part of quality editorial production.
The purpose of the grant to publishers for major projects is to support publishers taking economic risks in the context of an editorial production of exceptional importance in view of its scope, its literary or scientific quality, and costs incurred. The works concerned may be published in print and/or digital format.
For digital projects, a complementary criterion relating to technical choices will be applied.
Support for the digital edition of the National Centre of Plastic Arts (CNAP) is aimed at publishing houses or professional structures supporting contemporary creation and which can ensure and guarantee, under professional conditions, the publishing and dissemination in France of digital projects in French. Support for publishing is intended to support projects dedicated to living artists, and artists and artistic movements after the first half of the 20th century whose influence is still present in the field of contemporary art.
- Projects concerned: Support for digital publishing concerns DVD publishing projects, e-books and online projects.
- Areas concerned: Decorative arts, sound creation, design, graphic design, drawing, prints, engraving, installation, new media, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, video.
The purpose of this grant is to support high-quality projects for the development of reading for audiences who are unable to read, because of their disability, hospitalization, loss of autonomy, as well as because of their placement in court, and integrating the acquisition of collections and mediation and valuation actions. It can benefit public reading networks (local authorities) and associations.
Audiovisual and multimedia
This fund is intended to support innovative audiovisual works based on an interactive and/or immersive creative approach.
The RIAM, a partnership between the CNC and Bpifrance, aims to finance companies' research and development (R&D) programmes in the fields of production, the processing, distribution and publication of images and sounds resulting in new and innovative goods or services.
Financial support for the technical industries of cinema, audiovisual and other arts and industries of the animated image is intended to help enterprises which, through the technical equipment and services they provide, participate in the development of the creation and the quality of the dissemination of cinematographic, audiovisual, linear or non-interactive, interactive or video game works.
Press
The Fonds de soutien à l'émergence et à l'innovation dans la presse is launching a call for projects for the creation or development of incubation programmes run by press companies. It is aimed at press companies wishing to create or develop incubation programs dedicated to “start-ups” (providers of solutions dedicated to media and/or emerging media).
Supported by Paris&Co, the ACPM (Agence pour les Chiffres de la Presse et des Médias), the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, CELSA Sorbonne Université, the Institut national de l'audiovisuel, PEPITE Sorbonne Université and Reworld Media, MEDIASTART is a support programme for innovative emerging media projects, supported by the Ministry of Culture within the framework of the Support Fund for Emergence and Innovation in the Press.
Media literacy
Since 2015, the Ministry of Culture has been supporting the development of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for all audiences, youth and adults, in all territories. In particular, starting in 2016, it set up a programme of journalists' residencies and intensified its action from 2018 with the mobilization of increased financial resources and the implementation of a media education plan.