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Deadline
04 Aug 2025, 17:00 (CEST)
For whom
Investigative Journalism media using science
Amount
Up to €50,000
Programme
The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) programme delivers grant funding, training, mentoring and networking to drive the production of local, regional, and transnational investigative journalism backed by science, and enhance cross-sectoral collaboration between journalism and research institutions.
Visit the dedicated programme website for more information
The grants aim to forge new alliances between media and academia or research institutions, ramp up pertinent skills and operations, and deliver in-depth investigative reporting on topics of public interest, ranging from climate change and healthcare to emerging technologies and local governance.
The Journalism Sciene Alliance will award three types of grants:
- € 10 000
- € 20 000
- € 50 000
Applications open 2 June 2025 and close 4 August 2025, 17:00 (CEST).
Questions? Join our AMA sessions.
We will organise two AMA (‘Ask Me Anything’) sessions via Zoom.
- Monday 16 June 2025 at 11.00 CEST
- Monday 7 July 2025 at 11.00 CEST
Eligibility Criteria
The grants will be open to:
- Collaborations involving at least one media outlet and one research/academic organisation working on an investigation on a topic of public interest, such as climate change, healthcare, emerging technologies, local governance, etc. The list of examples is not exhaustive.
- Organisations need to be based in one or more countries that have signed up to the full cross-sectoral strand of the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, which provides core funding for the JSA.Eligible countries include all 27 EU member states and the following non-EU countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine.
- The lead applicant is always a media outlet. The application should be submitted by a journalist associated with that media outlet who will act as the team lead. This can also be a freelancer, as long as they are supported by a media outlet.
- Individual journalists and/or scientists can be part of the applying teams as long as there are at least two organisations already involved in the application (1 media and 1 research organisation), but they cannot be lead applicant.
- Media, journalists, scientists, and/or research organisations from outside of the Creative Europe participating countries will be able to be part of the applying teams, as long as these already include one media and one research entity that satisfy the eligibility criteria.
How to apply
- Create an EJC.net account or log in if you have an existing account.
- Make sure you have thoroughly read and understood the call for application document.
- Download the application questions document before starting your application. This document contains all the questions you’ll be asked and helps you prepare your answers in advance.
- Click the "Apply button" on this page to start your application.
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
Frequently asked questions
What is JSA and what does it do?
The Journalism & Science Alliance (JSA) is a programme co-funded by Creative Europe, that delivers grant funding, training, mentoring and networking to drive the production of local, regional, and transnational investigative journalism backed by science, and enhance cross-sectoral collaboration between journalism and research institutions. Supported by training and mentorship provided by JSA, journalists and scientists will work together to uncover new topics of public interest that will reach and engage (new) audiences for investigative journalism, while serving public interest across Europe.
Who manages the JSA programme?
The JSA Fund is managed by a consortium led by NOVA University Lisbon, in partnership with the European Journalism Centre (EJC).
What are the JSA Grants?
JSA grants aim to forge new alliances between media and academia or research institutions, ramp up pertinent skills and operations, and deliver in-depth investigative reporting on topics of public interest, ranging from climate change and healthcare to emerging technologies and local governance. The programme will allocate a total of €2 million in grants over a 24-month project lifecycle.
JSA will award three types of grants:
- € 10 000
- € 20 000
- € 50 000
Applying teams choose which tier to apply and justify their choice in the application regarding the complexity of the proposed investigations, the number of partners involved, the nature of the associated tasks and the tentative timeline. Participating partners must agree on the distribution of funds and the procedures to be followed at the stage of the preparation of their application.
How many calls (rounds of funding) are planned?
Two calls will be held in 2025/26, opening on the following dates:
- First call: 2 June 2025 - Closing date: 4 August 2025 (at 17.00 CEST)
- Second call: January/February 2026 (date tbd)
The deadline for applications will be two months from the launch of each call.
Where does the money come from?
The JSA fund is supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme.
How does JSA ensure its independence?
All funds provided by donors are managed by a consortium of independent organisations dedicated to the protection of press freedom and independent journalism. No donor is permitted to exert influence over the selection of grantees or their work. Furthermore, JSA is committed to protecting the editorial independence of all grantees. All grants under the JSA grants scheme are awarded by independent juries of experts based on a transparent set of criteria. No representative of any donor or JSA project partner is allowed to sit on or influence any jury.
Who can apply?
To be eligible to apply for a JSA grant, applications need to be submitted by a partnership of at least one media outlet (lead) and one research institution (co-lead).
The application should clearly demonstrate the added value of the collaboration and the role of each participating organisation, as well as information about the individual team members (journalists and scientists) who will be directly involved in the implementation of the project and their respective tasks and roles in the proposed investigation.
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