Essential application documents

To download the guidelines click here.

To download the annex to the guidelines click here. 

To download the application form click here.

To download the budget form in Excel click here.

To download the explanatory notes for financial information click here.

Optional documents to help with your application

Direct Line to Brussels seminar PowerPoint (tips and advice on applying)

Evaluation Guide (how your application will be assessed by experts)

Single Project Development funding is aimed at companies with a limited financial capacity wishing to invest in the development of just one project.

Eligible companies
 
Applications are accepted from European independent production companies with a track record, which hold a minimum of 50% of the rights in the project(s).  Companies must have been registered for at least 12 months at the time of applying. There are no minimum requirements in terms of the company's turnover or profit, but the company must provide evidence of its financial capacity.
 
What projects are eligible?
 
* Fiction (one-off and series, minimum duration 50 minutes)
* Creative documentary (one-off and series, minimum duration 25 minutes)
* Animation (one-off or series, minimum duration 24 minutes)

 
All projects must demonstrate a European dimension namely they need to have the potential to find audiences and distribution markets in Europe.

Amount and nature of support
 
* Up to 50% of the development budget submitted with the application
 
* Matching funds (in cash) are the responsibility of the applicant.
 
The Commission's grant for all categories of single projects is from €10,000 - €60,000, with the exception of animation feature-lenngth projects for cinema release for which a maximum of €80,000 is available. 

Eligible development costs:
 
* The acquisition of rights
* Research (including archive research)
* All script writing up to and including the final draft (provided that it is paid before first day of principal photography or pre-production)
* Storyboards
* Identification of the key cast and crew
* Preparation of the production budget and schedule
* Preparation of financing plan 
* Identification of industry partners, co-producers and financiers
* Initial marketing and sales plans (attending markets and attracting buyers).

Other eligible costs:
 
* For drama and creative documentary: teaser / video treatment
* For animation: graphics research and production of a pilot
 
Period of eligibility of costs:
 
* Writing related - 12 months prior to the date of the application
* All other costs - from the date of submission of the application
* All costs eligibility ends 24 months after the signature of the agreement with the Commission on the date of entry into production, whichever is the earlier.
 
Required track record
The company must be able to provide evidence that they have completed, as the majority producer, a previous work similar to the eligible projects described above.  It must also show that this work has been distributed during the period between 1 January 2006 and the date of submission of the application.  
 
If the company doesn't have the required track record:
 
Track record of the individuals involved
If the company is not eligible for funding because of the lack of the company's track record, then the individual track record of professionals who are part of the company can be used even if they produced the previous work for other companies or worked on a freelance basis.  In this case the individual must at the time of submission be a shareholder or CEO/MD of the company or have been on the company's payroll for the last 12 months.  On a previous (qualifying) production they must have a producer's, executive producer's or delegate producer's credit.