Open Horizons project - Final Call

Open Horizons, a Horizon Europe-financed initiative, has officially launched its third Open Call. The purpose of the third and final call of Open Horizons is to identify and select promising women-led, digital and deep-tech start-ups in Europe, specifically at the early stages, offering them a unique opportunity to participate in a tailored open innovation programme. Designed to upscale the capabilities of innovative startups, the programme provides structured pathways to access significant investment and growth opportunities.

Who Can Apply?

Applications must be submitted exclusively via the Sploro platform.

Applicants must:

• Be established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country
• Qualify as an autonomous SME
• Be registered between 6 months and 6 years
• Have raised €1 million or less in equity
• Be founded or co-founded by a woman who holds a top management position and owns at least 25% of shares
• Operate in the digital or deep-tech sector

Corporate Challenges

Startups must address one of twelve corporate challenges, addressing areas such as:

• AI for engineering simulations,
• secure model exchange,
• intelligent tax solutions,
• biodegradable materials,
• AI-powered logistics,
• food loss upcycling,
• energy efficiency,
• sustainable formulation,
• enterprise AI assistants,
• forecasting, and industrial process optimisation.

More details are available in the Guidelines for applicants.

Budget and Support

The final Open Call has a total budget of €475 000.

Up to 16 women-led startups will be selected for the 1-month Inception Stage, and up to 7 startups will advance to a 5-month Piloting Stage in collaboration with a corporate partner.

Each selected startup may receive up to €55 000 in equity-free funding, disbursed based on milestone achievement:

• €10 000 after the Inception Stage
• €20 000 after mid-term pilot review
• €20 000 after successful pilot completion
• €5 000 after participation in the final Demo Day

Evaluation

Applications will undergo eligibility screening, red-flag checks, independent expert evaluation, interviews, and final selection. Results will be announced in August 2026.

As the final open call of the Open Horizons project, OC#3 represents the last opportunity to participate in this Horizon Europe-funded initiative.

More details are available in the Guidelines for applicants.

Before applying we highly recommend studying the Guidelines for applicants to go through the details about eligibility criteria, corporate challenges and application process.

Save the dates - Info days

During the Info Days you will receive detailed presentation about the project, Open call rules and criteria and application process.

• 1st Info Day: Wednesday 18 March, 2026, 10:00 CEST (Brussels time)
• 2nd Info Day: 16 April 2026, 16:00 CEST (Brussels time) 

More information is available on the website: https://www.openhorizonsproject.eu/ 

Background information

Open Horizons, project funded under Horizon Europe, is designed to support women-led startups in deep tech and digital innovation, from 2025 to 2027. The main goal is to bridge the gender and funding gap by providing equity-free funding, hands-on mentoring, and pilot projects with major corporates. The project is coordinated by PEDAL Consulting, s.r.o. (Slovakia), with partners SPLORO (Spain), InnovX (Romania), and Migros Ticaret (Türkiye). Together, they bring expertise in cascade funding, business acceleration, and open innovation.