Business Innovation Synergizer MIE 3.0

General instructions for completing the application form

The applicant must ensure the following:

The application form is filled and completed/submitted online via provided link;
The application form must be completed in English language;
All parts of the application must be completed;
All requested additional documents should be attached within the provided link for the application form.

The Application Form should contain the following supporting documentation:

1. Registration documents (certificate) of the legal entity confirming that it is registered within the country of application,
2. Document(s) that proves that the media outlet is established before 01 January 2025 (if different from date of Legal Registration)
3. Financial statements for 2025 calendar year
4. Certificate from relevant tax authority that the legal entity has paid all due taxes, in accordance with local legislation and issued within the last 3–6 months before the application deadline.
5. Company organisational chart.

NOTE: Media applying for the Business Innovation Synergizer may consider applying for grants ranging up to 30.000 EUR. To be considered for support a media outlet has to have: EUR 80,000+ annual revenue; 5+ full time employees.

Title of the business idea (project title)

Media outlet name

Insert name of media outlet

Full address (street, house #, postal code, city)

Country

Requested amount in EUR

up to 30,000 EUR max.

Grant period - insert proposed start and end date of the project implementation

(start date January 2027 and end date December 31 2027 and implementation period cannot be longer than 12 months)

Please add the main information about the media outlet, including the person who will be the main point of contact throughout the application process and if successful, managing the grant.

Legal entity name and address

Date of registration

Legal representative name and position

Website

link

Contact person name and position

Contact phone

Email

Primary type of the media

(print, radio, TV, web...)

Ownership / Status

(public, private/commercial, CSO, foundation, other-specify)

To the best of your ability, please address all the relevant items listed below in your application. Please follow the instructions provided for each part of this Application Form.

1. SUMMARY (max 350 words)

Describe your business idea (title of the project, short background, and main objectives of proposed activity)0/350

2. PROBLEM ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION

2.1 Context and Problem Analysis (max 300 words)

What is the key problem that your business idea/model (proposal) aims to solve? Explain the context in which this problem exists, including both external and internal factors. 0/300

2.2 Relevance of the project to the Call’s objectives (max 300 words)

Please outline how your project contributes to at least two of the below listed objectives of the Call: 1. Enhance resilience strategies 2. Sustainable business models 3. Introducing innovative production methods and formats 4. Improve audience engagement 5. Strengthen financial resilience 6. Implement digital transformation0/300

2.3. PROJECT RESULTS, DELIVERABLES, ACTIVITIES AND INDICATORS

2.3.1 Detail the changes (outcomes) that will be evident at the end of the project. Describe the expected improvements you aim to achieve. (max 300 words)

0/300

2.3.2. Describe how realisation of the said outcomes will contribute to realisation of your media outlets long term goals, and the expected impact you aim to achieve. (max 300 words)

0/300

2.3.3. List the outputs (deliverables) that you must accomplish to achieve the stated outcomes. Be clear about the key outputs you will have. (max. 300 words)

0/300

2.3.4 List, shortly describe and provide timeline for project activities needed to achieve results (Note: 4 main activities maximum) 300 words

0/300

2.3.5 Define specific indicators of success. For example, instead of saying "Increase the audience of our media outlet," specify "Increase the audience of our media outlet by 15% by the end of the project." When defining indicators, apply the SMART approach: ensure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

IMPORTANT: The indicators you propose will serve as the basis for monitoring your project’s performance and will be used for reporting purposes throughout implementation and in the final project report.Please ensure that all indicators relate directly to the project activities and expected outcomes, and that they can realistically be achieved within the project implementation period (January 2027 – December 2027). When setting targets, carefully consider your organisation’s capacity, available resources, and the timeframe for implementation. Well-defined indicators will not only strengthen your application but will also help demonstrate the tangible impact and sustainability of your proposed business innovation.0/300

2.4 Who are your target groups and how will you meet their needs by this action? How many people will be directly involved in the action? Please provide estimates on the target groups you aim to reach through your proposed actions (e.g., citizens accessing your content, newsletter subscribers, customers, advertisers, sponsors, etc.) Max 300 words

On the target groups you aim to reach through your proposed actions. If relevant, diversify by a) audience eg. citizens accessing your content, newsletter subscribers, etc. b) commercial clients, advertising clients, customers, etc. c) involved outlet’s staff d) Other0/300

2.5 Risks and mitigation measures - what are the specific risks and challenges that, in your view, may prevent the successful implementation of your project? What is your proposed solution to mitigate/address them? Max 300

0/300

2.6 Sustainability - please indicate how the proposed set of activities and their achievement will contribute to the sustainability of the media outlet to at least one of the following: revenue generation and diversification, audience engagement, innovation sustainability (continuous product and business model development) and operational sustainability (efficient management and capacity)

0/300

2.7. Has the proposed business idea previously undergone a business idea validation programme or independent systematic validation process? *By validation we mean the process of testing the key assumptions behind a business idea to determine whether it addresses a real market need and has the potential to succeed. It involves gathering evidence through customer feedback, market research, prototyping, or other validation methods to reduce uncertainty and support informed business decisions.

2.8. If yes, what validation steps did you take, what were the results and how do they inform your proposal? max 300 words

*If applicable, please specify the programme name, implementing organisation, and date of participation.0/300

3. Please list the team (staff members to be responsible for the implementation). This should include a team of at least two (2) full time staff members.

Rows	Name and Surname	Role in the media outlet/organisation	Project activity that person will be in charge of
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

4. Proposed Budget Plan

Rows	Short Description	Total cost in EUR
HR costs (staff costs)
Programmatic costs - costs of activities proposed in application *Note: no more than 4 activities
Equipment costs - Purchase of equipment is allowed up to 40% of the total value of proposed budget; for equipment essential to the successful implementation of the project
Other costs (office cost, utility cost, etc.)
GRAND TOTAL

5. DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANISATION (max 300 words)

(Brief description of the current activities and operation of your organisation - years of operation, number of employees, internal structure and divisions, annual income/turnover, production capacities, etc.) Give specific examples of how the media outlet demonstrates a commitment to professional and ethical standards of journalism? Provide examples of policies, practices, and initiatives that uphold these standards). If available, please include links to relevant documents). 0/300

6. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE - Please provide information on recent donor-funded projects and programs your organization has implemented in the last three years. Include any ongoing projects with similar elements or synergies, if applicable.

Rows	Project name	Short description of project and main outcomes. If this project is related to the proposed project, please specify how and provide short synergy description	Donor organisation name	Amount of project budget	Period of implementation (mm/yy – mm/yy)
1.
2.
3.

7. DECLARATION AND CHECKLIST

7.1 Privacy notice

The project is managed by a consortium led by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) together with the Berlin-based Thomson Media (TM), The Fix Foundation (TFF) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). Thomson Media (TM) will use the information you are providing for the purpose of assessing your Application Form and securing your participation in this Project. We may pass this information on to other organisations, including the consortium and selection panel members in order to assess your application and to administer and evaluate the programme.

Thomson Media (TM) wishes to publish information on successful applications (including the summary provided on the first page of this form) on their website, in promotional materials disseminated through any medium, and in reports and documents. Thomson Media will not publish personal details on their website or via other media without prior permission.

7.2 DECLARATION to be signed by the Applicant

The applicant is not guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required as a condition for participation in the grant award procedure or of failure to supply this information.

Upon the completion of Step 2 of the evaluation process, the project will conduct the Due Diligence check. The applicant must provide all information reasonably requested by Thomson Media to complete the screening searches.

Signature I certify that I am authorized to submit this Application on behalf of the named Applicant and have read and understood the terms above.

Supporting documents

The following documents must be attached to the application:

1. Registration documents (certificate) of the legal entity confirming that it is registered within the country of application.

2. Document(s) that proves that the media outlet is established before 01 January 2025 (if different from date of Legal Registration).

3. Financial statements for 2025 calendar year.

4. Certificate from relevant tax authority that the legal entity has paid all due taxes, in accordance with local legislation and issued within the last 3–6 months before the application deadline.

5. Company organisational chart.

Please upload here all requested supporting documentation:

The Application Form should contain the following supporting documentation:1. Registration documents (certificate) of the legal entity confirming that it is registered within the country of application,2. Document(s) that proves that the media outlet is established before 01 January 2021 (if different from date of Legal Registration)3. Financial statements for 2023 calendar year4. Certificate from the relevant tax authority that the legal entity has paid all due taxes, in accordance with local legislation and issued no earlier than December 2023.

Media Innovation Europe 3.0