“WAN-IFRA and Finnmedia Collaborate to Spark Positive Transformation in the News Industry”
WAN-IFRA Launches GAMI Incubator #Finland Programme in Partnership with Finnmedia and Finland’s Media Industry Research Foundation
Thursday 27 March, 2025 – In a move to support the future of professional journalism and foster collaboration between media organizations and technology companies, WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, has launched the GAMI Incubator #Finland programme. This one-year coaching and funding initiative is a partnership with Finnmedia and Finland’s Media Industry Research Foundation.
The programme, initiated by WAN-IFRA’s Global Alliance for Media Innovation (GAMI), aims to bridge the gap between media organizations and startups or tech companies by facilitating collaboration, supporting new skills uptake, and promoting technology adoption in Finnish newsrooms. It also seeks to create opportunities for promising international startups/tech companies in the Finnish media landscape while sharing best practices and lessons learned across the industry.
Noora Alanne, Executive Director of the Media Industry Research Foundation and Growth Director of Finnmedia, emphasizes the importance of innovation in the media industry, stating, “The future of media depends on our ability to innovate. This programme is a unique opportunity to connect Finnish media companies with bold, forward-thinking international tech partners – and to experiment, learn, and grow together.”
The call for applications, open to all Finnish media companies, was published on 27 March 2025. The programme is looking for solutions in the areas of personalization, data science, data journalism, fact-checking and disinformation, new tech for producing, processing and publishing content, AI and Generative AI, AR/VR immersive technologies, and more.
Three Finnish news media organizations will be selected from the applications and connected with three carefully chosen international startups or tech companies. The six-month collaboration phase will kick off in September 2025, with additional ad-hoc coaching provided by external industry experts in change management and tech innovation.
By the end of the programme in February 2026, the participating teams will present a proof of concept at an open event to the rest of the Finnish news media industry. Applications are open to Finnish media companies that are members of WAN-IFRA or Finnmedia. Eligibility criteria for startups/tech companies will be announced during the summer.
More information about GAMI Incubator #Finland, including eligibility criteria, focus areas, and timeline, can be found in the Fact Sheet.
About WAN-IFRA:
WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organisation of the world’s press, representing 3,000 news publishers and technology companies and 60 national publishers’ associations from 120 countries. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers to operate independent media and provide its members with expertise and services to innovate and thrive in a digital world. The World Editors Forum is its network for editors. For more information, visit wan-ifra.org.
About Finnmedia:
The Finnish Media Federation (Finnmedia) is an advocacy organization for private companies in the media and printing industries. It focuses on industrial policy and labor market policies while promoting new growth in the media industry. Finnmedia’s member companies produce quality Finnish media products and services across all channels and promote freedom of speech, Finnish culture, and democracy. Finnmedia and its member associations – Federation of the Printing Industry in Finland, Finnish Magazine Media Association, Finnish Publishers Association, News Media Finland, and RadioMedia – have a total of 600 member companies. For more information, visit www.medialiitto.fi/finnmedia.
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/