Google is set to contribute €25 million to help launch the European Media and Information Fund, which it said will help strengthen media literacy skills, fight misinformation and support fact checking.

The news comes amid rampant criticism of BigTech in the US and EU from regulators regarding their handling of misinformation during the 2020 US election and Covid-19 pandemic.

The European Media and Information Fund was launched by Portuguese not-for-profit the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute last week.

The fund provides grants to researchers, fact-checkers, not-for-profits and other public interest-oriented organisations working in the field of reducing misinformation.

The fund will begin accepting proposals in the coming weeks from academics, non-profits and publishers based in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Google highlighted that it will not be involved in any decision making related to the fund, which will instead by handled by an independent panel.

Matt Brittin, head of Google’s EMEA business and operations, said: “While navigating the uncertainty and challenges of the last year, it has proven more important than ever for people to access accurate information, and sort facts from fiction.”

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