We’re pleased to announce that applications for the next round of the Digital News Initiative Innovation Fund will open on Wednesday, February 28, closing on Monday, April 9 at 23.59 CET. The DNI Innovation Fund is a no-strings-attached award to those in the news industry looking for some room (and budget) to experiment. Why are we doing this? Because at Google we know from experience that the biggest, boldest ideas often start small. Through the DNI Innovation Fund we want to give new approaches the freedom to grow – and hopefully to soar.

View videos featuring two previous recipients, Trint and NewsMavens, telling more about their projects:

In the Round 4, we heard clearly that monetisation was the biggest challenge facing the news industry. That remains the case although we know that many of you have a vast array of ideas about inventive responses to that challenge.

So to address this, in Round 5 we’re excited to throw open the doors to even more innovative approaches and want to welcome a whole range of ideas about diversifying revenue streams.

Yes, it’s true that all the Medium and Large track applications will need to demonstrate that they have a monetisation component within the idea to be eligible, but don’t let that limit your ideas. 

We all know there is opportunity outside of the well-known approaches around paywalls. 

New approaches have never been more needed so it’s time to experiment, to innovate and to try something new. We’re ready and waiting to help enable bringing your idea a reality.

Since the DNI Innovation Fund launched in October 2015, we’ve offered €94 million to more than 460 projects from ambitious European newsrooms, individuals, traditional publishing houses, startups and academics in 29 countries.

Much more information about the application process, eligibility requirements and DNI Innovation Fund governance can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions section section and in the Innovation Fund section, where you can also submit your application once the window opens.. 

Get ready to apply on the 28th February, and we look forward to seeing your creative suggestions and original ideas. If you have further questions, please get in touch.

The DNI Innovation Fund team