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Call for Applicants: Travel Grants to Knowledge-sharing Event and Breakwater Journalism Festival in Poland 24 - 27 September 2026 | Deadline to apply: 12 July 2026

Tactical Tech is providing travel and subsistence support of maximum 1000 EUR/person to Europe-based journalists and other media professionals interested in enhancing their media viability and audience development skills and transnational journalism practices by attending the final dissemination event hosted by the EU-funded project MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) in the context of the newly launched BREAKWATER International Journalism Festival organised by Reporters Foundation in Gdańsk, Poland on 24-27 September 2026.

Application deadline: 12 July 2026, end of day CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Event Details

  • This is a skill-sharing, mutual-learning and networking event hosted by the EU-funded project MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) in the context of the newly launched BREAKWATER Journalism Festival organised by the Reporters Foundation in Gdańsk, Poland on 24-27 September 2026.

  • Join us to share skills and connect with other media professionals on the topics of media viability and innovation, audience development and transnational journalism in the age of AI.

  • If selected, attendance is mandatory for the event program. Arrival should be planned for 24 September morning – in order to join sessions planned later in the day from 13:00 CET on 24 September – and departure should be planned for 27 September. An agenda and more event details will be shared with accepted applicants.

  • MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) will host several specific sessions in addition to and as part of the BREAKWATER Journalism Festival, at the same location with the festival. Participants funded by MOST will also have the opportunity to join the festival.

Funding Details

  • Financial support will be provided to selected applicants in the form of travel reimbursement based on receipts, following the attendance of the event, in the amount of maximum 1000 EUR per person, per event.

  • We aim to provide funding to an average of 24 participants.

  • Interested journalists and other media professionals are invited to check the application criteria below before applying.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Apply if you:

  • Are a journalist or other media professional affiliated or collaborating with a regional European Hub organisation that is part of the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI), namely: RISE Project Romania, Investigate Europe, Journalists in Need Network, Fundacja Reporterow, OBC Transeuropa, Delfi. *This is not a mandatory criteria but some level of connection will be relevant as the project aims to strengthen existing regional networks as well as to build new capacity that can strengthen existing media networks in different European regions.

  • Are a citizen of one the Creative Europe Participating Countries, including:

  • Have demonstrated experience with collaborative public-interest reporting and/or international reporting.

  • Have demonstrated experience with developing and adapting media content to diverse audiences, and with communicating stories to audiences at local, national and/or cross-border level.

  • Wish to gain skills and implement measures to avoid reporting bias and ensure responsible use of AI-powered tools in your reporting, and/or have already developed experience with the use of AI powered-tools in reporting and wish to share your knowledge as well as learn from others.

  • Wish to improve and diversify your audience development, engagement and outreach strategies and apply innovative methods to develop and test new media content distribution opportunities.

  • Have fewer opportunities to access in-person, cross-border collaborations and skill-sharing events.

  • Are committed to attend and actively participate for the entire length of the event as this is mandatory for funded participants.

Application deadline: 12 July 2026, end of day CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Financial Support and Travel Planning

  • Accepted participants will be reimbursed for event-related expenses, including travel, accommodation, travel insurance, and local subsistence (per diem), up to a maximum of €1,000 per event. Reimbursement will be provided after the event upon submission of receipts. We will also cover the festival ticket costs for the accepted participants.

  • Accepted participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodation. Organisers will provide all the content planning, agenda and local details to facilitate the trip and event participation.

How To Apply?

  • Fill out the application form below with the required details.

  • Applicants should demonstrate their experience with producing and disseminating journalistic content in the public interest, as well as to indicate how they expect the event to benefit their future work and content distribution efforts.

  • Please note that the event will be held in English. A working level of the language is necessary to ensure overall collaboration and a smooth facilitation of the event.

  • For full transparency, please disclose if you are using AI tools to structure and write your application responses.

APPLICATION FORM: https://lime.ttc.io/index.php/27667?lang=en

Application deadline: 12 July 2026, end of day CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Selection Process

  • We aim to provide funding to an average of 24 participants.
  • Our team of journalists and researchers from Tactical Tech, MOST and CIJI project partners will review the applications, balancing experience, skills, diversity, needs and everyone’s ability to both gain from, and contribute to the event.

Contact

If you have any questions about the events and the application process, please contact us at eti@tacticaltech.org

About the Organisers

The event is hosted by the “Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism” (MOST) project, which aims to strengthen the resilience of independent media outlets in Europe by offering innovative business and audience development strategies, and a collaborative platform for the exchange of knowledge, resources, and content. The MOST project consortium is led by OBC Transeuropa and includes Le Courrier des Balkans, New Eastern Europe, European Pravda, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), El Orden Mundial, and Tactical Tech. The MOST project is funded by the European Commission CREA Fund (GA 101180285).

Tactical Tech is an international NGO that engages with citizens and civil-society organisations to explore and mitigate the impacts of technology on society.

Disclaimer:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.