7 tips for securing funding from Google’s Digital News Initiative

Google’s Digital News Initiative (DNI) has supported 461 innovative projects since its launch three years ago and spent more than £83 million supporting media innovation.

As a fresh round of funding approaches – the next call for applications should open before the end of the year – how can your project take advantage? Google has received more than 4,800 applications since it first started the fund, so how can your application stand out?

Louis Dumoulin, head of UK office at the consultancy and digital transformation agency CosaVostra, and Daniel Daum, digital transformation consultant and former managing director of Prisma, have both helped organisations apply to the DNI fund and shared their insights to the process with July’s newsrewired audience.

CosaVostra has helped more than 20 projects obtain DNI funding, with an impressive 80 per cent success rate from all the projects it has assisted. The bad news is there is no unique way of being successful when applying.

“We didn’t break the code, unfortunately. It’s all about the right strategy for your team,” said Dumoulin.

"If you are looking for an easy or magic solution to secure funding, there isn’t one."

So, what advice did Dumoulin have for a better chance of being selected?

1. Projects must be news related

This may seem obvious to all wanting to apply, but sometimes it’s easy to miss the fundamental point of the DNI fund when ideas start to form in your mind, Dumoulin explained.

You can have a great idea for a simple plugin like CosaVostra’s PodScript for example, or even an ambitious project, like a virtual reality environment in your newsroom, which is something the Italian newspaper La Stampa DID with The ROOM, but keeping it news-focused is key.

2. Impact on your ecosystem

“You should always set the bar high and think of ways in which your ideas can have an impact on your ecosystem,” explained Dumoulin.

For example, this could mean focusing on a very local project – in which there are plenty of examples from previous rounds of the DNI Fund – or partnering with other companies to realise a tool that can be beneficial for you as well as for others.

“Applying with a collaborative project is definitely a plus,” Dumoulin assured.

3. Always be willing to change

What if you're working hard on your application, and you realise it's going in the wrong direction?

"Don’t panic," Dumoulin said. You can always change or adapt your project to make your application more effective. The golden rule, from Daum noted, is that “you must have a clear idea of the experience you want to deliver, the goal".

4. Remember: Innovating can be easier than you think

Thinking of innovative ideas doesn’t mean that you have to create a new technology from scratch, they explained.

A lot of successful projects are based on the assembly of existing technologies in order to create a different and new user experience.

5. Be feasible

You have to prove that your project is not just wishful thinking. It must be something doable and something that you can do. Forget sci-fi technologies and focus on concrete projects, Daum said.

6. Keep an eye on the details

This tip spans over everything you do, Dumoulin explained, from setting benchmarks to creating wireframes to support your projects.

"Forget the 'less is more' principle for once," he said. After all, you can never be too detailed or precise when you're asking for hundreds of millions of Euros in funding.

"Why not send letters of interests to support your project?"

7. Keep in mind that there’s no room for opportunism

Google’s DNI is a programme for authentic enthusiasts: there is no room for bluffing, Daum explained. You have to seriously commit to your project and to the application. Check out the DNI Fund Report 2018 to explore the projects that have been supported by the DNI Fund and the impact they’re having in newsrooms across Europe.

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