Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697804855750.pdf (Ireland)
IRELAND IN A CREATIVE EUROPE: IRELAND’S PARTICIPATION IN AND ACCESS TO THE CREATIVE EUROPE PROGRAME 2021-2027 OPENING STATEMENT Creative Europe is the European Union's funding Programme to support the culture and audiovisual sectors.

First launched in 2014, the Programme saw the previous MEDIA and CULTURE programmes come together under one umbrella with a cross sectoral funding strand addressing both sectors.
The Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 was agreed and publicly launched in May 2021 and has a budget of € 2.44 billion, which represents a 50% increase on the previous Programme (2014-2020).

The MEDIA strand supports the European film and audiovisual industries to develop, distribute and promote European works as well as funding markets, networking and training opportunities.
The CULTURE strand supports a wide range of cultural and creative sectors as well as encouraging cooperation and exchanges amongst cultural organisations and artists at European level.

The CROSS-SECTORAL strand aims at reinforcing collaboration between different cultural and creative sectors, in order to help them address the common challenges they face and find innovative new solutions.
2014-2020 PROGRAMME RESULTS Through the MEDIA funding strand, (2014-2020) €13 million was awarded to over 80 Irish companies across film, documentary, animation, TV and video games sectors.

Almost €2 million of the overall €13 million was awarded to the audiovisual and video games sector in the West of Ireland and €0.5 million was invested in Gaeltacht companies representing 3.8% of the total Creative Europe MEDIA funding to Ireland.
Beneficiaries include the Cork International Film Festival, The Galway Film Fair, all of Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated animated features, Element Pictures’ Oscar-winner The Favourite alongside projects from over 80 Irish companies.

Through the CULTURE Funding (2014-2020), 98 Irish organisations from were involved in projects and activities, with over €6.3 million coming directly these organisations.
The successful projects featuring Irish partners and covered a range of art-forms including visual arts, dance, music, theatre, literature, circus, craft, architecture, design and cultural heritage.

Some notable and interesting Irish projects include Craft HUB EU led by Carlow County Council; Cultural Adaptations (greening project) with Axis Ballymun & Codema Dublin; Keychange (gender equality in music industry) with First Music Contact & sponsor IMRO.
Despite the delayed launch of the first funding calls in June 2021 and a shortened application window, the 2021 results for Ireland have been very positive.

While all results are not yet available, the funding total for Ireland to date is over €4.6 million.

Nearly €2.3 million from the MEDIA Strand, over €1.8 million through the Culture strand, and €540,000 under the cross sectoral strand.
Innovations in the new Programme There are a number of welcome changes to the Programme intended to facilitate greater access and offer more targeted supports to the cultural and creative sectors across Europe, recognised by the EU as having been adversely affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The expanded Programme provides new opportunities for the Irish cultural and creative sectors including: • Higher co-financing rates in order to expand access to the Programme • Support for artists and creative professionals to apply directly under the Artists’ Mobility Strand (launching in 2022) • Support for new sectors such as news media, fashion and sustainable tourism • Creative Innovation Lab • Support for journalism partnerships and Media freedom and pluralism • Stronger emphasis on transnational creation and innovation to make the audio-visual and cultural sectors more globally competitive • Targeted sectoral supports including the music, architecture, and cultural heritage sectors across Europe • European MEDIA and audiovisual action plan • Media Invest – a new equity fund designed to help fund the post-pandemic recovery of Europe's audiovisual industry (to be launched May 2022) Creative Europe Desk Ireland is the designated national contact point for the Creative Europe Programme 2021 – 2027.
The National Coordinator for the Desk is Screen Ireland which is delegated by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and there are three information desks focusing on the cultural and creative sectors across Ireland.

The Culture Office is based in the Arts Council and is funded by the Creative Europe Programme with matched funding from the Arts Council.

Katie Lowry and Aoife Tunney are joint Heads of the Culture Office.
The MEDIA Office in Dublin is a company limited by guarantee and has an autonomous board of directors.

The office is funded by the Creative Europe Programme with matched core funding from RTÉ and Screen Ireland and receives funding from the BAI Sectoral development fund for specific events.

Orla Clancy is the head of the MEDIA Office Dublin, which has a national remit to advise the audiovisual sectors on the Creative Europe Programme.
The MEDIA Office in Galway is a company limited by guarantee and has an autonomous board of directors.

The office is funded by the Creative Europe Programme with matched core funding from Údarás na Gaeltachta, TG4, Screen Ireland and Árdán and receives funding from the BAI Sectoral development fund for specific events.
Eibhlín Ní Mhunghaile is the head of the MEDIA Office Galway and works closely with the Dublin office while also prioritising the Audiovisual Sectors in the Gaeltacht regions and the West of Ireland and focusing on Irish language projects.

Leona Cully works as the Communications and Digital Media Manager for the Creative Europe Desk and works across all offices.
The three Offices share responsibility for the Cross Sectoral strand of the programme and work together to promote the calls which include the Creative Innovation Lab and the new News Initiative funding calls such as Journalism Partnerships and Media Literacy.

The remit of the Desk is to promote the Programme at local, regional and national level to provide expert advice and assistance to the Irish cultural, creative and audio-visual sectors in order to facilitate Irish participation in the Programme.
The Desk gives expert advice on how to access Creative Europe funding and works closely with the companies and organisations in the respective sectors to ensure that they submit high quality funding applications.

The Desk provides an important role in representing the Creative Europe programme on a national and European level and feeds into the European dialogue on EU policy.

The Desk is a key interface between the Irish cultural and creative sectors and the EU Commission.
It also collaborates closely with the European and national agencies and stakeholders on relevant policy initiatives and strategy.