Info Day for Open Call 3 – 16 April 2026
April 1, 2026
Open Call #3 is the final call of the programme, open until 19 May 2026, 17:00 CEST.
If you are thinking about applying, take a moment to reply to these questions:
Open Call #3 is the final call of the programme, open until 19 May 2026, 17:00 CEST.
If you are thinking about applying, take a moment to reply to these questions:
ne year ago, Open Horizons started with a clear mission: to help women-led deep-tech startups turn innovation into real market solutions.
Since then, we’ve been building a growing ecosystem where startups, corporates, investors, and innovation actors collaborate to bring new technologies closer to real-world applications.
Here is what the first year of Open Horizons looks like.
Deep-tech founders don’t attend events. They use them. The founders who extract real value from the ecosystem don’t treat events as stages, they treat them as systems. Systems for testing their narrative with real stakeholders. For translating complex technology into outcomes that resonate. For understanding who actually needs what they’re building. Because in deep tech, traction often begins before the product is finished. And the right conversation at the right event, in the right room, can become a turning point. The question is never ‘should I attend?’ It’s ‘am I ready to use this?’
Through Open Call #3, Open Horizons invites startups to tackle real challenges defined by industry leaders and turn cutting-edge technologies into market-ready solutions.
Through Open Call #3, Open Horizons invites startups to tackle real challenges defined by industry leaders and turn cutting-edge technologies into market-ready solutions.
The third and final Open Horizons Open Call is offering up to €55,000 in equity-free funding and the opportunity to collaborate directly with leading corporates.
To help applicants avoid common mistakes seen in previous calls, we’ve prepared this simple and practical guide to eligibility criteria.
If you are a women-led startup working in digital or deep-tech, read carefully before applying.
Carefully reviewing your eligibility and alignment before submission significantly increases your chances of progressing.
This is the final Open Horizons call — don’t miss the opportunity to scale your innovation through corporate collaboration.
282 applications from 41 countries, these are the outstanding numbers proving the Open Horizons Open Call #2 has attracted strong interest from women innovators across Europe and beyond, confirming the programme’s relevance for startups and SMEs working at the intersection of deep tech, digital innovation, and sustainability.
The programme’s focus on women-led ventures reflects Open Horizons’ commitment to bridging the gender gap in technology entrepreneurship and supporting greater diversity in European innovation ecosystems.
After four weeks of intensive training, strategic refinement, and rigorous evaluation, the Open Horizons project is proud to announce the five startups selected to move forward into the 5-month Piloting Phase.
These teams demonstrated exceptional commitment, clarity, and readiness to co-develop real Proof-of-Concept (PoC) projects with leading European corporates.
Open Horizons is hosting a dedicated Info Day to help women-led deep-tech and digital startups navigate the application process for Open Call #2, offering up to €55,000 in equity-free funding, hands-on mentoring, and the opportunity to co-design pilots with major European corporates.
📅 4 December 2025
⏰ 10:00–11:00 CET
🌐 Online
If you are a woman founder developing an innovative digital or deep-tech solution, this session is designed to give you all the clarity you need before submitting your application.
What you will learn
Participants will receive a guided walkthrough of the entire Open Call process, including:
How Open Call #2 works and what it offers
Eligibility criteria – who can apply and what we’re looking for
Evaluation and selection – how proposals are assessed
After selection – contract signature, legal checks, and next steps
How to apply – a step-by-step explanation of the submission process
Where to find help and support at any time
The Info Day is free and open to all interested applicants.
It has been designed to make the application journey simple, transparent, and accessible—especially for founders applying for an EU-funded programme for the first time.
🔗 Register here: https://shorturl.at/n1EK7
Get your questions answered and prepare to submit your proposal with confidence.
20 November 2025, European Union: Open Horizons, a Horizon Europe funded initiative designed to elevate women-led deep tech startups, has officially opened its Second Open Call. It offers up to €55,000 in equity-free funding, strategic mentoring, and the chance to co-develop pilot projects with leading European corporates. Applications are open from 20 November 2025 to 29 January 2026.