New applications for Digital Content Grant 2022 open from Tuesday - Annuar

Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the Digital Content Grant, introduced in 2021, is aimed at helping and promoting the continuity and sustainability of the country's creative industry practitioners, in line with the new norms following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I see this Digital Content Grant 2022 as very important in helping digital content creators realise their ideas into ready-to-market products. Digital content creators have a variety of interesting ideas but they are having a hard time getting started and getting funding.

"Therefore, I am confident that through the Digital Content Grant 2022, MDEC will not only provide access to funding but also assist them in producing marketable digital content as their ideas will be evaluated by a panel of industry experts," he said in a statement today.

The Digital Content Grant 2022 offers financing of up to RM50,000 to companies, enterprises and sole proprietorships or limited liability partnerships (LLPs) to develop new or existing content in the marketplace in the form of animation, digital comics, interactive media and digital games.

Annuar said selected applicants will be invited to a presentation session scheduled for August, before approval is announced by September 2022.

"Upon approval, grant recipients will be given a period of six months to complete their digital content, including either Short Animated Films, Pilot Episodes, Short Trailers, content for Public Service Announcements, Digital Games/Complete Interactive Media (Demo or Prototype) or Digital Comics/Complete Mobile Comics," he said.

He said last year, through the Digital Content Grant 2021, MDEC had received 111 applications with a total of RM1.9 million grants approved which benefited 39 applicants.

According to him, the Digital Content Grant 2022 is part of a series of funding initiatives designed for the creative content industry for 2022.

"The digital creative content industry is one of the fastest growing industries and one of the focus industries under Malaysia Digital. Therefore, MDEC is committed to ensuring that the industry receives the support it needs to remain viable, sustainable and competitive," he said.

Since 2016, MDEC has approved 94 projects worth RM36.4 million to digital creative content companies to fund their ideas at the development stage and ensure they are investor-friendly.

Registration for the Digital Content Grant 2022 is open until July 29 and those interested can visit https://mdec.my/dcgprisma2022 for more information.