DigiDemo, CreaDemo and CreMa grants can be applied for from the beginning of May to the beginning of August. The grants support the development of new cultural content, innovation in creative industry products and services, and cooperation between the cultural sector and other sectors.

The DigiDemo and CreaDemo grants awarded by AVEK to the creative industries will be cut by half in 2021. Distributed for almost 20 years, these grants are funded from a special appropriation granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture that comes from profits obtained from gaming operations. AVEK’s product development support has helped companies and products such as Supercell, Gigglebug Entertainment, Arilyn and Oikiat Design’s Vaatelaastari (FabPatch) get started. The drastic decrease in the amount of financial support is a new blow to the creative industries and threatens their reform and innovation.

“The beginning of new stories is in jeopardy,” writes Director of AVEK Ulla Simonen in her blog. The DigiDemo and CreaDemo grants distributed by AVEK will be cut by half in 2021, and the future of the appropriation is unknown.

A recipient of both the CreMa and CreaDemo grants, Arilyn creates emotionally engaging experiences with the help of augmented reality. The company’s CEO and co-founder Emmi Jouslehto explains the role that augmented reality can play in cultural experiences.

AVEK has continuous application periods apart from the Mediarata and the CreaDemo and DigiDemo grants. In addition, in some supports the decisions are only made on certain days.

AVEK has appointed a new media art commissioner. Milla Moilanen, who has been working in the field of moving pictures for over 30 years, assumed her new position on 3 February 2020.