Before you apply to Open Horizons, it is essential to understand whether your startup meets the programme’s eligibility criteria.
Who can apply
Our initiative is designed to support women-led deeptech startups ready to tackle real corporate challenges with innovative solutions.
Open Horizons is open to startups that meet the following criteria:
- Women-led
Your startup must have at least one woman in a leadership position (founder, co-founder, CEO, CTO, or equivalent) with a minimum 25% ownership stake. This ensures that the strategic direction of the company is genuinely influenced by a female leader. - Deeptech or digital innovation
Your solution should be based on cutting-edge technology or scientific advances with the potential for high impact and market disruption.
Examples include:
- Artificial Intelligence and advanced analytics
- Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial digitalization
- Blockchain and data-driven services
- Robotics, quantum computing, or advanced hardware
- GreenTech, renewable energy, or sustainable industrial solutions
Challenge-based application
Every proposal must address one of the published challenges defined by Open Horizons’ corporate partners.
This ensures that selected startups work on solutions with real market demand and gain the opportunity to develop a co-piloted project during the programme.
Startup stage and incorporation
- Your startup must have been established no more than 6 years before the call deadline (not before 21 August 2019).
- You must be a registered legal entity in an eligible country (see below).
Geographic eligibility
Open Horizons is open to startups established in:
- EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
- Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (UK).
Why your application must align with a challenge
Open Horizons focuses on real-world impact. This means your application must:
- Clearly select one challenge from the open call list
- Present a solution tailored to that challenge
- Demonstrate feasibility and market relevance
Applications that do not match any challenge will not be eligible for funding.
The opportunity
If your startup meets these criteria, you could access:
- Up to €55,000 in equity-free funding across Inception and Piloting Phases
- Mentoring and visibility at EU level
- Corporate-backed pilot opportunities that connect your innovation to real market needs
Ready to apply? Start now and join a challenge-driven innovation ecosystem that turns ideas into market-ready solutions.
Open Call #1 closes on 21 August at 17.00 CEST, make sure you complete your application on time!