In Practice

Linking Research and Implementation

Key takeaways

EACEA and REA demonstrate how executive agencies can serve as connective tissue between EU policy, research, and field implementation — translating democratic commitments into tangible outcomes for journalism and public-interest media.

⚖️ Why it matters

Executive agencies bridge the gap between EU policy ambition and operational delivery. How they design, evaluate, and coordinate calls directly shapes whether journalism and information-integrity initiatives can scale, learn, and survive. The experience of EACEA and REA shows that flexibility, coordination time, and shared learning are not administrative extras — they are what turn fragmented projects into sustainable ecosystems.

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Creative Europe Journalism Partnership (EACEA)

The Journalism Partnerships under Creative Europe illustrate how executive agencies can bridge research, innovation, and practice. These grants have enabled cross-border networks of independent media, universities, and fact-checking organisations to collaborate on sustainability, audience trust, and media literacy. ➡️ Lesson: Include coordination, research, and dissemination as eligible and reportable deliverables — not just content production — so projects contribute to system-wide learning and innovation.

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Horizon Europe: Media & Democracy Cluser (REA)

Under Horizon Europe, the European Research Executive Agency (REA) manages consortia exploring disinformation, AI transparency, and information integrity. Several projects now directly involve media outlets as partners, testing solutions such as algorithm audits or community verification tools.

➡️ Lesson: By treating journalism as research infrastructure, REA has shown that academic funding streams can meaningfully advance media resilience. Integrating safety, ethics, and socio-economic impact indicators into research frameworks makes this bridge sustainable.

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🎙 Field Voices from Consultations

“Donors have varying reporting requirements — some need reports after every event or activity, others quarterly or biannually. The core donors are more understanding since they allow annual reports. A unified package of basic documents would make a real difference.” — Media development manager, Eastern Europe (Transforming Media Development, GFMD 2023)

“Simpler and lighter compliance paths are essential to bring new actors in. Otherwise, only the same EU-based organisations will ever qualify.” — Interviewee, OECD Media Toolkit Consultation 2025

“The biggest challenge is not the lack of willingness, it’s the structure. We need proportionate procedures, lighter templates, and mechanisms that make it possible for small and local organisations to access EU funds safely.” — DG INTPA officer, TED Consultation 2025

“Long lead times and multiple audits make it impossible to plan. A rolling or staged funding system would allow smaller partners to keep working rather than starting from zero each year.” — EU-funded partner, MENA region (GFMD interviews 2023)