Open Horizons Open Call #3 received 389 submitted applications from 38 countries. This is the strongest response across all three open calls of the programme. But beyond the headline numbers, what the submissions reveal is more interesting than any single figure: a growing, geographically diverse community of women-led startups building serious technology and ready to bring it into real industrial environments.
A map of where bold ideas are born
Applications came from across the full spectrum of eligible countries: from established European innovation hubs to widening participation regions where access to structured support and corporate networks has historically been limited.
The geographic breadth reflects one of Open Horizons’ core convictions: that innovation potential is evenly distributed, even when opportunity is not.
Widening regions, including countries across Central and Eastern Europe and Horizon Europe associated countries, confirmed that targeted EU support continues to unlock founders who might otherwise remain outside the ecosystem’s reach.
The technology landscape: what women founders are building
Artificial Intelligence dominates the technology landscape, present in nearly 4 in 10 of all technology selections: a figure that reflects both the centrality of AI to modern deep-tech development and the active role women founders are playing in shaping it. Greentech follows as the second most selected area, signaling strong alignment between women-led innovation and Europe’s sustainability priorities.
Advanced Computing, Internet of Things, Advanced Materials, Agri tech, and Energy round out the most represented sectors. Together, they paint a picture of a community building at the intersection of digital transformation and industrial relevance.
What is perhaps most striking is the breadth. Across 12 corporate challenges spanning engineering simulation, circular economy, financial technology, logistics, advanced materials, and Human Resources technology, every challenge received proposals.
The challenge distribution offers an interesting lens for anyone thinking about where the opportunities (and the competition) lie in the European deep-tech ecosystem.
For the startups that chose the harder path, that specificity is itself a competitive advantage.
827 sparks: the story behind the drafts
389 applications were submitted. 827 drafts were started. That gap is worth reflecting on.
Some founders discovered the programme wasn’t the right fit, whether due to eligibility, challenge alignment, or timing. Others simply ran out of time. But 827 drafts represent 827 founders who engaged seriously enough to begin. This is a meaningful signal about the size and energy of the ecosystem Open Horizons was built to serve.
For those founders, the journey continues. The EU’s support for women-led innovation extends well beyond any single programme, and the ecosystem of dedicated initiatives is growing.
Check out other related initiatives and opportunities here: https://www.openhorizonsproject.eu/related-initiatives/
What comes next
Evaluation is underway. Selected startups will be notified before the beginning of the Inception Stage, starting in September.
For the startups already in their Inception and Pilot phases from previous cohorts, the work continues: pilot implementation, corporate relationships developing, and solutions moving closer to market.
Thank you to every founder who applied. And to every founder who started a draft: your idea is worth pursuing. We look forward to accelerating together with Cohort 3 bold women founders.