A Cross-Border Innovation Support Programme for Digital Creative Enterprises
Creative Catalyst is a cross-border innovation support programme developed by CREW and supported by InterTradeIreland, designed to help digital creative SMEs, researchers, and academics across the island of Ireland unlock growth, scale internationally, and commercialise your intellectual property.
Targeting high-potential sectors such as film, animation, immersive media, games, and digital design, the programme addresses the key barriers that often limit innovation:
Through a combination of masterclasses, hands-on workshops, and structured mentorship, Creative Catalyst equips participants with the skills, networks, and strategies needed to collaborate, innovate, compete, and thrive in global markets.
The programme includes:
Innovation Masterclass Series
Four online masterclasses delivered over 2x half days.
Eligible companies may sign up for one or more of the masterclasses; choose the topics that are most relevant to your business.
Structured Mentorship
Facilitated mentorship aligned with each masterclass to support peer-to-peer learning, cross-border collaboration, and network development.
Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange Event
An in-person event in October 2026 designed to bring Creative Catalyst participants together with peers, industry experts, and cross-border collaborators. This interactive session will provide a platform for sharing insights, showcasing projects, and exchanging best practices across creative sectors.
Each masterclass is run independently, so participants can join one, two, or all four sessions depending on their interests and business needs.
Read more about each masterclass and programme dates below.
Unlock the power of emerging and immersive technologies to grow your creative business.
This intensive programme combines a 3-hour live Emerging Technologies masterclass with three hours of small-group mentorship, designed specifically for creative-tech SMEs ready to explore AR, VR, MR, virtual production, motion capture and immersive projection spaces.
Led by industry practitioners and cross-border innovators, participants will gain real-world insight into cutting-edge tools, platforms and workflows — and, crucially, how to adopt them strategically inside their own organisations.
Through case-study showcases, peer-to-peer clinics and guided mentoring, you’ll develop a clear, de-risked technology adoption plan aligned to your growth goals, funding readiness and IP strategy.
Format:
What you’ll gain:
Programme Dates:
Build the strategy, structure and story that investors want to see.
This intensive programme combines a 3-hour live Investment Readiness masterclass with three hours of small-group mentorship, designed for creative SMEs preparing to raise funding, scale commercially, or position their IP for growth.
Led by experienced founders and financial strategists, the session guides participants through the Business Model Canvas, core investment metrics, funding strategies, and the fundamentals of a compelling pitch. You’ll learn what investors look for, how to articulate your value proposition, and how to structure your financial narrative with confidence.
Through practical worksheets, peer feedback and guided mentoring, you’ll refine your business model, clarify your funding pathway, and build a concise, investor-ready pitch deck aligned to your growth plans.
Format:
What you’ll gain:
Programme Dates:
Masterclass: Thursday April 30, 10-1pm (online)
Mentorship: Thursday May 7, 10-1pm (online)
Office Hours: Friday May 15, 12-1pm (online)
Harness AI to streamline, scale, and enhance your creative business workflows.
This outcomes-driven programme combines two 3.5-hour live AI masterclasses with a practice week and small-group mentorship, designed for creative entrepreneurs and small studios ready to integrate AI into their operations and creative processes.
Led by AI practitioners and creative-industry innovators, participants will gain hands-on experience with automation, augmentation, and evaluation techniques, applying multiple AI tools to real business workflows. The programme helps you standardize, refine, and scale processes such as content pipelines, pre-production, sales operations, asset management, and administrative tasks — while maintaining quality, rigor, and creative integrity.
Through applied labs, peer review, and guided mentoring, you’ll develop future-state AI-supported workflows and a practical adoption plan aligned to your studio’s goals, constraints, and growth strategy.
Format
What you’ll gain:
Programme Dates:
Masterclass and Mentorship: Friday June 12, 2-5pm (online)
Coaching Week: from Monday June 15-Thursday June 18
Masterclass and Mentorship: Friday June 19, 2-5pm (online)
Protect your ideas, maximise value, and navigate legal complexities with confidence.
This intensive masterclass combines a 3-hour live session with three hours of small-group mentorship, designed for creative SMEs and professionals who want to safeguard their work, commercialise IP, and operate across borders.
Led by IP lawyers, legal experts, and industry practitioners, participants will gain practical, hands-on guidance on copyright, trademarks, patents, licensing, and international legal frameworks — all tailored to the creative industries.
Through case studies, peer discussion, and guided workshops, you’ll develop a clear, actionable IP strategy, enabling you to protect your creative content, mitigate legal risk, and unlock commercial opportunities globally.
Format:
What you’ll gain:
Programme Dates:
Masterclass and Mentorship: Thursday August 6, 10-1pm (online)
Masterclass: Thursday August 13, 12-1pm (online)
Masterclass and Mentorship: Thursday August 20, 10-1pm (online)
Creative Catalyst is designed for flexibility and impact.
Each masterclass is run independently, so participants can join one, two, or all four sessions depending on their interests and business needs.
You can pick the topics most relevant to your growth goals, whether it’s emerging tech, investment readiness, IP and legal frameworks, or AI-powered workflows.
Every session combines live expert-led classes, hands-on exercises, and small-group mentorship, giving you practical skills, peer feedback, and cross-border collaboration opportunities, committing to a manageable programme that focuses on the knowledge you need most.
Creative Catalyst is designed for:
Film & TV
Animation
Immersive media
Games
Digital design
Those exploring emerging technologies to enhance their creative business
Participants preparing for investment or funding opportunities
Those navigating IP frameworks and legal considerations
Creative professionals integrating AI into business workflows
Ineligible Applicants
