Relais Culture Europe

What Relais Culture Europe does

Relais Culture Europe is a French nonprofit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2011 and headquartered at 132 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, Paris. It serves as the official Creative Europe desk for France, acting as the national contact point for the European Commission's Europe Créative programme across its three strands — Culture, MEDIA, and Transsectoriel — as well as for adjacent EU funding instruments (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe Cluster 2, CERV). The organization guides cultural, creative, and media professionals through EU funding applications, partner matching, methodological resources, and regional LabEurope initiatives in Normandie, Guadeloupe, and Guyane. It also operates the Forum Europe Créative annual event, the Think Culture conference (since 2016), three podcast series (De l'idée au projet, Passe-moi le relais, Chroniques d'Ukraine), and participates as a partner in EU-funded projects including AI-SECRETT and the Ložionica cultural center in Serbia.

The core product portfolio consists of advisory services, methodology guides (e.g., L'Archipel de la Coopération, Coopération Application Kit), a European partner-search platform, and co-managed funding programmes such as Culture Moves Europe (individual mobility fellowships of 7–60 days), Perform Europe (transnational touring in performing arts), Films on the Move (pan-European film distribution), and the new PIPD (International Production and Diffusion Poles) launched in December 2025. The underlying technology is a standard Webflow-hosted website with no proprietary AI/ML components, APIs, or SDKs.

The business model is institutional grant funding, not commercial revenue. Relais Culture Europe is supported by the European Commission, the French Ministry of Culture, and the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée), with no commercial pricing — all services are free to French cultural actors. Since 2021, it has assisted over 1,500 French structures, contributed to nearly 600 cooperation projects, and supported €350M in downstream funding to beneficiaries. Reported outcomes include 92% user satisfaction and 500 awards at festivals for MEDIA-supported projects. The team is approximately 14 FTEs; CIDEM (the CERV national contact point) joined the Paris premises in March 2026, consolidating two EC schemes under one roof.

Name

Relais Culture Europe

Legal name

Relais Culture Europe

Website

https://relais-culture-europe.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Relais Culture Europe is the official French Creative Europe desk, advising cultural, audiovisual, and media professionals on EU funding access, partner matching, and cross-border project development under the European Commission's Europe Créative programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EU Cultural Funding Advisory Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

Keywords

• EU cultural funding
• Creative europe desk
• European project advisory
• Cultural cooperation grants
• Partner matchmaking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (European Commission, Ministry of Culture, CNC): As a non-profit national contact point for Creative Europe, Relais Culture Europe is supported by the European Commission, the French Ministry of Culture, and the CNC (National Center for Cinema). It does not generate commercial revenue but operates through institutional funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Relais Culture Europe is the French Creative Europe desk, providing guidance and support to cultural, creative, and media professionals for developing European projects. The organization advises applicants on Creative Europe programme strands (Culture, MEDIA, Transsectoriel) and complementary EU funds (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, CERV), facilitates European partner matching, and distributes methodological guides, application kits, podcasts, and events.

Product overview

Relais Culture Europe is the Creative Europe Bureau in France, providing advisory and support services for cultural, creative, and media professionals seeking to develop European projects. The organization serves as a gateway to EU funding programs including Europe Créative (with Culture, MEDIA, and Transsectoriel strands), Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and CERV. Core offerings include funding application guidance, European partner matching services, methodological guides (such as 'L'Archipel de la Coopération' and the Cooperation Call Application Kit), and educational podcasts. The product portfolio centers on facilitating access to European cultural funding rather than a traditional software platform, connecting French cultural actors with transnational cooperation opportunities across 41 eligible countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• De l'idée au projet: A podcast series where cultural project developers share how they built and financed their European cultural projects.
• Passe-moi le relais
• Chroniques d'Ukraine
• Forum Europe Créative
• Think Culture

Products and services

• Europe Créative – Volet Culture EU funding programme strand supporting cultural cooperation projects, individual mobility through Culture Moves Europe, and international touring through Perform Europe. Covers design, fashion, music, books, heritage, and performing arts. Relais Culture Europe advises French applicants on this strand.
• Europe Créative – Volet MEDIA EU funding programme strand supporting audiovisual, cinema, and video game sectors through film distribution initiatives, development, promotion, training, and networking activities. Relais Culture Europe advises French audiovisual professionals on this strand.
• Europe Créative – Volet Transsectoriel EU funding programme strand supporting innovation and cross-sector cooperation, including news media freedom, journalism partnerships, media literacy, and innovation labs bridging audiovisual with music, publishing, and museum sectors. Relais Culture Europe advises French applicants on this strand.
• Coopération (Appel à projets) Annual EU funding call within Europe Créative Culture supporting transnational partnership projects lasting up to 48 months, with small-scale funding up to €200,000 and medium-scale up to €1,000,000. Relais Culture Europe guides French applicants through this call.
• Films on the Move EU funding call supporting pan-European theatrical and online release strategies for European films outside their territory of origin, coordinated by international sales agents and European distributors. Relais Culture Europe advises French film professionals on this call.
• Culture Moves Europe – Bourse à la mobilité individuelle Individual mobility fellowship for artists and cultural professionals to develop creation, exploration, networking, or learning projects in another European country, with durations of 7-60 days. Relais Culture Europe guides French applicants on this scheme.
• Perform Europe EU funding programme for transnational touring in the performing arts sector (circus, dance, street arts, performance, puppetry, theater), supporting tours across at least three eligible countries. Relais Culture Europe advises French performing arts professionals on this programme.
• Erasmus+ Advisory Advisory services on the EU Erasmus+ framework programme (2021-2027) for education, training, youth, and sport, supporting cultural sector applicants through adult education, vocational training, and youth sectors for cross-border skill development.
• Horizon Europe – Cluster 2 Advisory Advisory services on the EU Horizon Europe Cluster 2 ("Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society") funding research and innovation at the intersection of research and culture. Relais Culture Europe guides French applicants on this cluster.
• CERV Advisory Advisory services on the EU CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programme supporting fundamental rights, equality, citizenship, democratic participation, and European values, with a €1.55 billion budget for 2021-2027. Relais Culture Europe guides French applicants.
• L'Archipel de la Coopération Methodological mini-guide for launching European cultural cooperation projects, providing theoretical foundations and practical recommendations for transnational networking and project implementation. Available as a free downloadable resource.
• Kit de candidature Appel « Coopération » 2026 Comprehensive methodological guide for the Europe Créative Cooperation call, providing exhaustive analysis of eligibility criteria, evaluation protocols, and best practices for application success. Available as a free downloadable resource for the 2026 session.
• Recherche de partenaires européens Online partner matching service enabling cultural and creative professionals to find European collaborators for transnational projects, featuring profiles from various countries and sectors seeking cooperation opportunities.
• Podcast Series (De l'idée au projet, Passe-moi le relais, Chroniques d'Ukraine) Podcast series covering European cultural project development (De l'idée au projet), cultural transformation analysis (Passe-moi le relais), and Ukrainian cultural perspectives (Chroniques d'Ukraine), featuring interviews with artists, producers, and cultural professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% user satisfaction rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CIDEM (Point de contact national CERV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025CIDEM, the French national contact point for CERV programme, joined Relais Culture Europe's premises. This creates synergies between Creative Europe and CERV programmes, offering more transversal support to cultural and civic projects.
• CENTQUATRE-PARIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2025Relais Culture Europe partnered with CENTQUATRE-PARIS to support the creation of Ložionica cultural center in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of Expertise France's EU-funded project, Relais facilitates integration into European cooperation networks and promotes transversal cultural development.
• Cultural Center of SzékesfehérvárminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHungarian cultural center seeking international partners for community cultural services, cultural participation development, and lifelong learning projects.
• Alba Regia FolkdanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHungarian folk dance association preserving and promoting Hungarian folk dance and intangible cultural heritage since 1949, seeking intercultural dialogue and international cooperation.
• FIMTE (Festival Internacional de Música Española para Teclado)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish non-profit cultural association based in Garrucha, Almería, working in music education, musical heritage, research, and community outreach.
• Armenian Consortium of DeafminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromoting inclusive cultural development and supporting deaf and hard of hearing artists in Armenia.
• La Tricoterie ASBL (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of Interphono cooperation project involving sound portrait workshops in Belgium, France, and Spain, with participatory neighborhood mapping.
• Nonumoi (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner in Interphono cooperation project, involved in sound portrait workshops and artistic exchanges.
• Fundación Teatro de la Abadía (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish partner in Interphono cooperation project, participating in artistic activities and closing festival in Brussels.
• Expertise FrancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead implementing organization for Ložionica cultural center project in Serbia, with Relais Culture Europe as project partner.
• Ministry of Culture (France)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey institutional partner providing support and participating in Forum Europe Créative events.
• CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench National Center for Cinema providing institutional support and participation in Creative Europe events.
• Région NormandiecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner for LabEurope Normandie forum, collaborating on European project development for Normandy cultural actors.
• Collectivité Territoriale de GuyanecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner launching LabEurope Guyane to support Guyanese artists and cultural professionals in accessing European funding.
• Région GuadeloupecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner for LabEurope Guadeloupe, working to expand Guadeloupian cultural industries and creative sectors' European reach.
• European Commission - EACEAcoreOthersEuropean Education and Audiovisual Executive Agency managing Creative Europe programme implementation.
• European CommissioncoreOthersPrimary funder of Creative Europe programme and Relais Culture Europe's institutional support.
• Institut FrançaiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench international cultural institute collaborating on International Production and Diffusion Poles programme.
• ONDA (Office national de diffusion artistique)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational office for artistic diffusion partnering on international cultural development programmes.
• On the MovecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural mobility network providing resources for international cultural cooperation.
• Avignon FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor theater festival where Relais Culture Europe hosts talks, workshops, and provides Creative Europe guidance to artists.
• Maison des MétallosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParis venue hosting Forum Europe Créative 2025 events.
• Goethe-InstitutcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for Culture Moves Europe individual mobility grants.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• MEDIA Desk Italia / Bureau Créative Europe Italie: Italian Creative Europe/MEDIA bureau structure, sharing EACEA designation and the national bureau role across Culture, MEDIA, and Transsectoriel strands. Closest geographic and structural peer for benchmarking.
• Creative Europe Desk Belgium / Bureau Europe Créative Belgique: Belgian national contact point for the Creative Europe programme, performing the same EACEA-mandated bureau function as Relais Culture Europe for French cultural and audiovisual professionals. Most direct operational analogue.
• Creative Europe Ireland: The Arts Council of Ireland hosts the Irish Creative Europe desk — identical mandate at national level for cultural and MEDIA strands, providing direct process and policy comparability to Relais Culture Europe.

Others

• European Commission's EACEA (Creative Europe Desk Network): EACEA is the parent entity that designates and funds national Creative Europe desks including Relais Culture Europe. It is the upstream principal rather than a competitor, but is the unavoidable counterpart for mandate and funding terms.
• On the Move: European network on cultural mobility, listed as a Relais Culture Europe partner. Adjacent ecosystem peer covering international artist/cultural mobility, a Complementary service layer to Relais's Culture Moves Europe activity.

Broad incumbents

• Institut Français: French public institution promoting French culture abroad. Direct partner of Relais Culture Europe on the PIPD programme; comparable as a larger national cultural intermediary with cross-border project support functions.
• British Council: UK cultural diplomacy agency operating globally with similar objectives (cultural exchange, partnership brokering, programme support). Comparable as a national instrument for cultural internationalisation, though far larger and operating outside EU programmes post-Brexit.
• Goethe-Institut: German cultural institute delivering cultural diplomacy, language programmes, and partnerships worldwide. Listed as a Relais partner on Culture Moves Europe; relevant as a parallel national-cultural intermediary operating at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• European Cultural Foundation: Pan-European cultural foundation funding cultural cooperation projects with similar continental 'connectivity' objectives. Comparable in mission (cross-border cultural collaboration) though funded via philanthropy rather than EU programme intermediation.
• Culture Action Europe: Lobby and advocacy platform for the European cultural sector, interfacing with EU institutions — a sibling intermediary to Relais with greater political remit and smaller service-delivery footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/relaiscultureeurope
• Facebookfacebook.com/RelaisCultureEurope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/relais-culture-europe
• Instagraminstagram.com/relais_culture_europe
• TikToktiktok.com/@relaiscultureeurope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Relais Culture Europe