Seed funding scheme launched for Welsh media innovators
Creative freelancers and SMEs in the Cardiff Capital Region and across Wales with an idea for new products, services or experiences in the media sector can apply for up to £10,000 of seed funding.
Launched last year, the Media Cymru Innovation Pipeline is now open for applications for the first Seed Fund round. The aim to is help develop business and individuals within the sector a series of funding rounds, training, research and opportunities over five years.
Its aim is to turn Cardiff and the surrounding capital region’s media sector into a global hub for media innovation with a focus on green and fair economic growth.
The winning Welsh creatives will get the chance to take very early-stage ideas through to fully validated projects. Over a three-to-five-month period, successful applicants will also be supported by experts from the Media Cymru Consortium - PDR and the Alacrity Foundation.
Following the successful completion of seed funded projects, applicants may also be eligible to apply for further support via Media Cymru’s Development Funding, which is due to launch in July 2023.
Media Cymru - a 23-partner Consortium with members including Creative Wales - is keen to receive applications from creators operating in a range of disciplines and industries, with particular interest in ideas relating to virtual production, new formats and ways of creating content, gaming, immersive storytelling, bilingual production, and fresh approaches to delivering the news.
Lee Walters, senior producer and funding manager, Media Cymru, said: “This first round of Media Cymru Seed Funding is a real opportunity for creative thinkers to explore early-stage ideas through a supported period of research and development (R&D).
"We know that Wales and the Cardiff Capital Region is brimming with creators who have great ideas, and we can't wait to hear them, help turn them into reality, and work together to accelerate innovation in the media sector in this part of the world."
Dawn Bowden, the Welsh government’s deputy minister for arts and sport said: “We know that Wales is home to creators and producers who make a huge contribution to our economy and our international profile. In line with our Programme for Government commitment to support more R&D in the creative sector, the Welsh Government through Creative Wales is supporting Media Cymru to ensure that initiatives such as this seed fund enable further Welsh talents to develop new innovations.
“This seeding fund is more than launchpad for new ideas. It represents an investment that will deliver real returns for our economy and society, as Wales becomes an international hub for innovation in the creative industries.”
Those wishing to apply for seed funding and the Media Cymru Innovation Pipeline should visit www.media.cymru. If you require advice on whether you are eligible, or would like to book a 121 meeting with a member of the Media Cymru team, please contact media.cymru@cardiff.ac.uk.
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