Google has taken clear steps to fix its relationship with the news and publishing industry.
The search giant has put aside 150 million Euros not only for startups but also for those creating new products, services and technology for the news industry.
In a statement explaining the funding, Ludovic Blecher, a Google employee, wrote, “Projects can be highly experimental, but must have well-defined goals and have a significant digital component. There is no requirement to use any Google products. Successful projects will show innovation and have a positive impact on the production of original digital journalism and on the future sustainability of the news business.”
Along with this, Google also announced that it has over 120 news organizations in its Digital News Initiative that began in April with just 11 members. The focus on this initiative is produce high quality journalism and includes publishers such as FAZ and Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, the Guardian, the BBC, Financial Times, The Economist, El Pais, La Stampa and Les Echos.
Also, DNI has been working on training – projects also known as the Google News Lab. The accelerated mobile pages (AMP) has also been run and funded by DNI too – technology that loads pages faster for smaller screens.
While this fund was announced in April, Google is now expanding on details such as who is eligible, how it will work and so much more.
In summary, this fund will be open to anyone who is working on technology in online news. Applications can be made twice a year with the very first taking place with the announcement and closing on December 4.