HORIZONS is a new programme aimed at enabling start-ups to accelerate their growth and ensure they are well prepared to navigate the challenges of the rapidly evolving media landscape.
If you are a Scottish start-up company working in the creative industries,
HORIZONS could be for you!
HORIZONS is being run by Film City Futures and is aimed at Scottish companies creating content which has the potential to be exploited for the wider creative industries sector in Scotland, the UK and internationally.
Potential participants may include companies who have experience of working in podcasts, radio, commercial/branded content, digital and short-form video, visual arts, theatre; or companies that are service providers who want to create their own content and IP.
HORIZONS will be a catalyst for growth, innovation, and inclusivity within the Creative Industries sector in Scotland. It will empower entrepreneurs, strengthen the ecosystem, and position Scotland as a dynamic hub for media production and innovation, ultimately benefitting the cultural, economic, and creative landscape and enabling companies to compete effectively internationally.
The project offers:
Skills development
Ideas exchange and collaboration
Access to expert guidance
Greater levels of innovation
Greater access to non-public funding channels
Increased visibility for Scottish entrepreneurs
10 companies will be selected, and HORIZONS will run from January – March 2024. It will consist of a series of six seminars and workshops delivered by senior executives and trainers from the screen industry. Each company will be assigned two mentors for the duration of the programme: one to focus on company business/leadership, and the other on creativity, development and innovation.
The project provides a safe space for start-ups to have discussions with seminar leads and with each other and will allow them to build their own network, exploring synergies and potential collaborations.
We encourage diverse-led companies to apply. By diverse-led we mean companies that have Heads/MDs of the company who are diverse, but it also could include start-ups that demonstrate strong EDI approaches, systems and voices in their work, processes and access.
Companies should be registered in Scotland and established within the past 5 years.
HORIZONS is supported by The Ecosystem Fund: a Scottish Government initiative delivered by Scottish Enterprise. It is an evolution of the Scottish Government’s STER Tech fund, in line with Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). Specifically, it draws on the Pathways Report recommendations to foster entrepreneurial education, diversity, and inclusion activity, encouraging a broader range of partners to submit proposals for project funding.
The application deadline is Monday 8th January 2024 at 5pm. All applicants must complete an application form as well as an EDI monitoring form.
*** Please note that the application deadline has been extended to Thursday 11th January 2024 at 12noon. ***
Guidelines and FAQs: here
Application Form: here
EDI Monitoring Form: here
You may also download the application form to complete offline here and the EDI form here.
Email submissions should be sent to Chloe Browne, HORIZONS Project Co-ordinator, at chloe.browne@filmcityfutures.com. Please also use this email address for any enquiries.
Please note our offices will be closed from 20 Dec 2023 to 3 Jan 2024.
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Keep in touch with us via email at hello@filmcityfutures.com