Call for projects: technology, storytelling and heritage

We are seeking projects that combine technology, storytelling, and design to make memories vivid, interactive, and future-oriented — from immersive installations and audiovisual or animated creations to sound-focused experiences and gamified narratives.

Your challenge: translate memories into concrete realisations such as functional prototypes, immersive or audiovisual installations, interactive or gamified digital experiences.

How can memories and cultural heritage be reinterpreted and presented in new ways?

Projects may propose new forms of access to archives, rethink how events, practices or knowledge from the past are represented, or design formats that allow people to relate to historical, cultural or everyday memories in a contemporary and innovative way.

This could involve, for example:

Developing a physical, digital or hybrid experience that offers new ways to explore or understand memories.

Reworking existing materials, stories or data into formats that are more accessible, interactive or engaging.

Creating tools, narratives or installations that reveal connections between different elements from the past and their relevance today.

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• Designers
• Artists

This call for projects offers an opportunity for multidisciplinary support, including:

Technological support based on the principles of open science.

Design and artistic expertise to strengthen and distinguish your proposals.

Business support to structure the economic model of your project.

We offer you a unique environment to bring your ideas to life:

A collective of committed partners ready to collaborate on technical, business, artistic and/or design solutions tailored to your project.

Experts who are deployed based on your specific needs to guide and co-develop your project.

Infrastructure, including free access to technical equipment and artistic workspaces.

Increased visibility through the partners' communication efforts: press, events and other promotional activities.

We are looking for bold, meaningful initiatives that ideally also have social benefits.

Criteria:

The project falls within the cultural and creative sector.

Region: Projects with an impact in Hauts-de-France, Wallonia or West Flanders.

The applicant (company/individual) is based in the cross-border area or the benefit of their project is established in the impact area (Hauts-de-France, Wallonia, West Flanders).

Your project must be at least level 4 on the MatMaX scale - https://matmax.wsl.be

Note: this call for projects does not provide for budgetary resources. However, funded expertise is offered, which is considered as "de minimis" aid.
This support programme was made possible by the allocation of part of the aid under the de minimis rule. This aid can therefore be equated with State aid within the meaning of the regulations on the use of advisory and innovation support services. Pursuant to the application of de minimis Regulation No 2023/ 2831 of 13 December 2023, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 15 December 2023, the total amount of all aid received by a company, regardless of its size, may not exceed EUR 300,000 over a period of three years. In this context, the applicant may be asked, if necessary, to complete and sign a de minimis declaration (provided by Creativ'Up).

Steps to apply - Start date: 19 January 2026

Submit your application in a few minutes

Complete the online form below before 19 February 2026 at 11:59 PM. Keep 5/03/2026 free: if you are selected, you will be invited to an interview with a selection committee. This will last 20 minutes, during which you will present your project and answer questions. The selection committee will be held in Wallonia, France or Flanders.

After the call for projects closes:

On 27 February 2026, you will be informed whether you are eligible for Creativ'Up support.
If necessary, we will contact you for additional information.

If your project is selected:

You will be invited to a selection committee meeting on 5 March 2026. You will receive an invitation by e-mail with the exact time and address.
During this 20-minute session, you will be required to:

Present your project and your needs.

Answer questions from the partners present.

The committee will bring all partners together to evaluate the projects and determine the terms of cooperation.

Application deadline: 19 February 2026, at 23:59.
Selection interviews: 5 March 2026 (details about the time and location will be sent by email to the selected candidates).

Composition of the selection jury:

• Emmanuel LONCA – Onderzoeksingenieur //Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Lens -CNRS, Université d’Artois
• Stéphanie ROBIN – Bestuurder //Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains
• Vincent GARIAZZO – Verantwoordelijke voor ontwikkeling en innovatie // Louvre-Lens Vallée
• Mathilde LANI – Projectmanager // Ville de Mons
• Loïc REBOURSIERE – Technical Project Manager // Le CLICK – Université de Mons
• Aurélien TESTELIN – AI Projectmanager // Le CLICK – Université de Mons
• Maïté DEBRY – Business and Knowledge Manager // TWIST Cluster
• Lise VAN TENDELOO – Projectmanager // Design Regio Kortrijk
• Filip DANIELS – Designer by education, lecturer & research coordinator // HOWEST
• Sarah KEYMEULEN – Directeur // Abby Museum

Programme start date: 11 March 2026, depending on the specific characteristics of each project.
Programme duration: 3 to 6 months, depending on the needs of the project.