Grant to Attend Dataharvest 2026

• Eligibility Criteria: The call is open to professional journalists, with particular encouragement for freelance journalists and those working in small or independent media outlets
• Type of Funding: Travel Grant
• Target Region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.
• Application Language: English

Are you a journalist interested in attending Dataharvest – The European Investigative Journalism Conference in May 2026? Do you want to benefit from advanced training, networking opportunities, and connections with editorial teams from all around Europe? BIRN, in partnership with the conference organisers, Arena for Journalism in Europe, and with the support of ERSTE Foundation, invites interested journalists to apply for a grant that can help make this experience possible.

• Conference Dates: 28 to 31 May 2026
• Location: Mechelen, Belgium
• Number of individual grants: 22

About the Grant

Journalists are invited to apply for a grant to attend Dataharvest 2026 – The European Investigative Journalism Conference, one of Europe’s major annual events dedicated to investigative, data, and collaborative journalism. Over the course of the event, participants will engage in practical training, workshops, expert sessions, and networking, with the aim of enhancing professional skills and fostering collaboration across countries and media organisations.

The grant is designed to support journalists whose participation in international professional events may be limited by financial or logistical constraints. By enabling their attendance at Dataharvest, we want to strengthen professional skills, facilitate international networking, and encourage cross-border collaboration within the European investigative journalism community.

What the Grant Offers

Each selected journalist will receive a lump-sum grant of €700, which is intended to cover:

• Travel costs to and from the conference;
• Daily expenses (per diem) during the conference.

In addition, the following will be arranged and covered directly by the conference organisers:

• Conference registration;
• Accommodation (three nights, 28, 29, and 30 May);
• All necessary practical information to participate in the event.

Kindly note that the grant covers the registration for and accommodation during the main programme of the conference (29 – 31 May 2026), and not the full-day masterclasses on 28 May 2026. The ticket for masterclasses needs to be purchased separately if one wishes to attend.

How to apply

All interested journalists are encouraged to apply by completing the online application form.

Applications must be submitted by 2 February 2026, 17:00 CET. Successful candidates will be notified in mid-February 2026.

For more information, please visit this page.