Digital Innovation Fund – applications now open

Overview 

Media Cymru and BBC Cymru Wales’ latest  Research and Development (R&D) fund specifically targets Digital Innovation. The fund offers dedicated time and resource to develop existing BBC Cymru Wales content for a YouTube audience.

If your production company has delivered a returning series for BBC Cymru Wales within the last five years, we would like you to creatively reimagine that content for a YouTube audience. What does the content look like? How can it be expanded, changed, and revamped? This is an opportunity to breathe new life into a well-loved brand, expand its reach, and build a bridge back to iPlayer.

Up to four Wales-based companies will be chosen to develop ideas for digital content, each receiving up to £20,000.

Successful applicants will carry out a three-month R&D sprint (taking place between February and April 2026) to develop a new idea and deliver a pitch deck and/or a taster or sizzle reel.

Eligibility criteria:   

• Your company must be based in Wales, with a ‘substantive base’ in Wales
• You have had a returning series (scripted or unscripted) commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales (as opposed to the BBC more generally) in the last five years and your returning series for BBC Cymru Wales must have qualified as a ‘Regional Production’ from Wales, in each case in accordance with the regional production criteria in Ofcom’s Guidance for public service broadcasters
• You must own the copyright and/or IP in your returning series free from any third party restrictions or limitations (other than the rights granted to the BBC in the series)
• Your project must be aimed at driving audiences from non-BBC digital platforms back to iPlayer
• The R&D work must happen between February and April 2026
• We will only fund one application per company.

Key Dates  

• 3 October 2025: Applications open
• 31 October 2025: Please note, the closing date has been extended (from 24 October to 31 October). Applications close at noon, applications will not be accepted after this time
• 5 November 2025: Applicants notified (applicants should note that it can take up to 5 weeks for contracts to be issued)
• January 2026: Insight Day (BBC, Central Square, Cardiff). Date TBC
• 2 February 2026: R&D projects begin
• 30 April 2026: R&D projects end
• May 2026: End of project review with BBC and Media Cymru

Apply

Please read and download the guidance document before applying. The guidance includes more information, application details and eligibility criteria.

If you wish to prepare your answers offline prior to applying, the key application questions can be found in the guidance document.

Download guidance – BBC Digital Innovation Fund (Word doc)

Download guidance – BBC Digital Innovation Fund (pdf)

Disclaimer: All applications must be submitted online via our website. We cannot accept applications in other formats.

Submit application form

Accessibility   

If you have any specific requirements that would make the application more accessible to you (such as advice, scribing or reading support) or would like to discuss this application in an alternative format (video or audio formats, audio narration, large font, plain text, or alternative language) please email media.cymru@cardiff.ac.uk or phone 02922 511 434.

Content Innovation Fund 2022-23

Two Wales-based companies received up to £50,000 to develop an ambitious idea with innovation at its core. The ideas were for factual content with broad appeal for BBC One Wales and iPlayer. 

How it worked 

The BBC Content Innovation Fund had two phases: 

• Phase One – R&D – led by Media Cymru in 2022/23 
• Phase Two – commissioning – led by BBC Cymru Wales in 2023 

Successful applicants carried out up to six months of R&D for a new idea. Companies were matched with experts in innovation and user centred design to assist throughout the R&D process.