Funding Resources

Finding suitable funding for a digital cultural heritage initiative can be challenging. European programmes, national and regional schemes, financial instruments, private investment, philanthropy and alternative financing all support different types of organisations, activities and stages of development. 

MetaHeritage has developed a set of complementary resources to help SMEs, startups, cultural and heritage institutions, universities, public authorities, clusters, education providers, NGOs and innovation ecosystems navigate this landscape. 

How to use the resources:

1. Identify your organisation

Determine whether you are applying as an SME, startup, cultural institution, university, public authority, cluster, NGO, association or education provider. 

2. Define your funding need

Identify the main activity to be financed: research, skills, innovation, deployment, market uptake, networking or territorial cooperation. 

3. Identify and understand suitable funding routes

Use the Strategic Funding Mapping to locate the programmes and instruments that typically match your organisation and activity. Then consult the corresponding fiche in the MetaHeritage Funding Guide or one of the National and Regional Funding Route Mapping for more detailed information. 

4. Search and verify current opportunities

Consult the Time Machine Funding Opportunities platform and the relevant official programme sources to identify current or forthcoming calls. Always verify the eligibility rules, deadlines, budgets and conditions of the specific opportunity before applying.

The Strategic Mapping of European Funding and Financing Opportunities is a quick orientation tool connecting different types of organisations and activities with potentially relevant funding and financing instruments. 

It covers seven main funding needs: Research; Skills and capacity building; Innovation and development; Deployment and adoption; Market uptake and scale-up; Networking and coordination; Territorial and interregional cooperation.  

The mapping indicates the typical strategic fit of each route. It does not guarantee eligibility, which must always be checked against the conditions of the specific programme or call.

The MetaHeritage Funding Guide provides a structured overview of the main funding and financing opportunities relevant to digital cultural heritage. 

The guide covers: 

• EU competitive programmes;  

• cohesion and territorial funds;  

• European financial instruments;  

• intergovernmental and ecosystem-based opportunities;  

• private investment and strategic capital;  

• philanthropic and mission-driven funding;  

• alternative and complementary financing.  

Each fiche explains: 

• the objectives of the programme or instrument;  

• the type of support available;  

• the main target beneficiaries;  

• the geographical scope;  

• the funding mechanism;  

• the typical project maturity;  

• how the opportunity can be accessed;  

• and when it may be appropriate to use it.  

Funding systems and access conditions vary considerably between countries and regions. The MetaHeritage National and Regional Funding Route Mappings complement the European Funding Guide by identifying relevant national funding routes and selected regional instruments in the territories represented by the MetaHeritage consortium. 

The geographical coverage reflects the national and regional scope of the MetaHeritage partners. These mappings are therefore not intended to provide comprehensive coverage of every funding system in Europe. 

Depending on the territory, each mapping includes: 

• national funding programmes and financial instruments;  

• regional schemes relevant to the corresponding MetaHeritage partner territory;  

• innovation and digitalisation support;  

• cultural heritage and tourism-related funding;  

• loans, guarantees and other financial instruments;  

• public investment and business support bodies;  

• access and funding conditions;  

• and links to official sources.  

The mappings may include permanent instruments, periodic programmes, previous calls or measures that could be renewed or replaced. Their inclusion does not mean that funding is currently available. Users should always verify the current status, eligibility criteria, budgets, deadlines and application procedures through the official sources. 

The geographical scope of these mappings corresponds to the countries and regions represented by the MetaHeritage consortium. They do not provide exhaustive coverage of all national and regional funding systems in Europe.

Once users have identified the most suitable funding family, they can explore current and forthcoming calls through the Time Machine Organisation Funding Opportunities platform. 

The platform brings together funding opportunities relevant to digital cultural heritage and provides information on aspects such as thematic scope, deadlines and available budgets.

This is an external resource managed by the Time Machine Organisation. MetaHeritage is not responsible for the accuracy, availability or continued updating of third-party information.