Travel grant for event on public interest reporting and AI practices

• Eligibility criteria: Journalists or media professionals affiliated to/ collaborating with a regional European Hub organisation part of the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI).
• Type of Funding: Travel Grant
• Target Region: Europe
• Application Language: English

Tactical Tech is providing travel grants of a maximum of €1000/person to European journalists and media professionals. The grant is to attend an event organised by the EU-funded project MOST (Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism) in Perugia, Italy, on 15-16 April 2026. 

The skill-sharing, mutual-learning, and networking event focuses on media viability, public interest journalism and editorial practices for mitigating cultural biases in international reporting. It will also offer guidelines and practices for using AI-powered tools in reporting.

This event is being held alongside the International Journalism Festival taking place in Perugia on 15-18 April. However, it is NOT related to the official festival program. Participants joining the MOST-hosted event are free to plan their own time to stay longer for the festival.

Requirements

The applicant is eligible to apply if they meet the following requirements:

• The applicant is connected to a CIJI organisation, namely: RISE Project Romania, Investigate Europe, Journalists in Need Network, Fundacja Reporterow, OBC Transeuropa, and Delfi. This is not a mandatory criterion, but some level of connection will be relevant.
• They have demonstrated experience with collaborative public-interest reporting and/or international reporting.
• They have demonstrated experience with developing and adapting media content to diverse audiences.
• They have experience with communicating stories to audiences at local, national and/or cross-border levels.
• They wish to gain skills and implement measures to avoid reporting bias and ensure responsible use of AI-powered tools.
• Alternatively, they already have experience with the use of AI-powered tools in reporting and wish to share their knowledge or learn from others.
• They want to improve and diversify audience development, engagement and outreach strategies and apply innovative methods to develop and test new media content distribution opportunities.
• They have fewer opportunities to access in-person, cross-border collaborations and skill-sharing events.
• Are committed to attending and actively participating for the entire length of the event, as this is mandatory for funded participants.

What the grant offers 

• Accepted participants will be reimbursed for event-related expenses. This includes travel, accommodation, travel insurance, and local subsistence (per diem), up to a maximum of €1,000 per event. Reimbursement will be provided after the event upon submission of receipts.
• Accepted participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodation. Organisers will provide all the content planning, agenda and local details to facilitate the trip and event participation.

How to apply

Please apply by filling out this application form. 

In the application, you should demonstrate your experience with producing and disseminating journalistic content in the public interest, as well as indicate how you expect the event to benefit your future work and content distribution efforts.

For full transparency, please disclose if you are using AI tools to structure and write your application responses. Please note that the event will be held in English. A working level of the language is necessary to ensure overall collaboration and a smooth facilitation of the event.

The application deadline is 18 February 2026, 17:00 CET.

For more information, please visit this page.