EIT Culture & Creativity has entered a new strategic partnership with leading broadcasting media & tech show IBC. Through the collaboration, EIT Culture & Creativity has been appointed the European Innovation Partner for IBC2026.
Announced at the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme’s Kickstart Day 2026, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing the audiovisual media industry and has the potential to meaningfully accelerate collaborative progress.
Together, the two organisations aim to create clearer pathways from proof-of-concept to deployment across the global media and entertainment (M&E) ecosystem – starting with the IBC Accelerator Programme.
“This partnership connects Europe's creative innovation ecosystem in the audiovisual sector with its extensive industry network in a way that is practical, visible, and impactful. IBC is the ideal partner to help us demonstrate that culture and creativity sit at the heart of technology transformation", stated Anette Schafer, CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity.
“This new partnership promises to further accelerate innovation across the IBC community. Kickstart Day is where many of the industry’s next breakthroughs begin, so it’s the right moment to announce this collaboration. Working with EIT Culture & Creativity, we are strengthening the pathway for M&E innovators to engage with the international media leaders who come to IBC to invest, form partnerships, and bring new solutions to market”, added Michael Crimp, Chief Executive Officer of IBC.
The partnership combines EIT Culture & Creativity’s pan-European network – supporting entrepreneurship and growth across Europe’s cultural and creative sectors – with IBC’s global reach through its conference, exhibition, and media platforms.
Under the agreement, EIT Culture & Creativity is contributing thought leadership and access to its ecosystem of start-ups, research institutions, creative clusters, and investors to support the Accelerator Programme.
This collaboration kicked off off with participation in a high-level, invitation-only strategic roundtable on innovation strategies that took place on the eve of the IBC Accelerator Programme’s Kickstart Day at the iconic BBC Broadcasting House.
Bringing together leading broadcasters, the roundtable focused on key trends and issues shaping the audiovisual industry, including trusted media, intellectual property, authenticity, rights management, and artificial intelligence (AI), signaling a strong start to the collaboration.