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The European Digital Media Observatory second phase: the call for proposals for the creation of national hubs on digital media is out

The Commission has published the second call for proposals to extend the reach of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). The second phase of the project will fund with 9 million EUR through the Connecting Europe Facility for the creation of national/multinational digital media research hubs across Europe.

logo of EDMO

EDMO

The research hubs of the EDMO will be interconnected in order to share best practices and relevant content. EDMO will facilitate the coordination of fact-checking and research activities at EU level and create a multidisciplinary community composed of academic researchers, fact-checkers, media practitioners and other relevant stakeholders.

The call for proposals of 9 million Euro through the Digital Service Infrastructure of the Connect Europe Facility will fund the creation of national or multinational research hubs on digital media. The closing day for applications is 5 November 2020. Such hubs will focus on emerging digital media vulnerabilities, which are of special relevance within the territory and linguistic area in which they will operate.

In particular, they will:

  • Detect, analyse and disclose disinformation campaigns at national, multinational, and EU level;
  • Analyse disinformation campaigns impact on society and democracy;
  • Promote media literacy activities;
  • Monitor online platforms’ policies and the digital media ecosystem, in cooperation with national authorities.

Background

The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) is one of the elements in the Commission’s detailed action plan on fighting disinformation, published on 5 December 2018. The plan aims to reinforce capabilities and strengthen cooperation between Member States and the EU in four key areas: improving detection, coordinating responses, working with online platforms and industry, raising awareness and empower citizens to respond to disinformation online.

The European Digital Media Observatory is managed by a consortium led by the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. The consortium includes the company Athens Technology Center from Greece, Aahrus University from Denmark, and the fact-checking organisation Pagella Politica from Italy.

The consortium has started its activities on 1 June 2020.

On 1 October 2019, the Commission launched the first call for tenders for the creation of the European Digital Media Observatory. The call for tenders of up to 2.5 million EUR has been won by a consortium led by the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, in May 2020.

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European Digital Media Observatory Second Phase - CEF Telecom call (CEF-TC-2020-2)

Call for proposals | 30 Iunie 2020

The call for proposals of 9 million Euro through the Digital Service Infrastructure of the Connect Europe Facility will fund the creation of national or multinational research hubs on digital media. Such hubs will focus on emerging digital media vulnerabilities, which are of special relevance within the territory and linguistic area in which they will operate.