Call4Travel Vouchers - Part 2

The COPILOT Call4Travel Vouchers - Part 2 is a grant opportunity designed to support bioeconomy innovators and enablers in attending study visits and workshops across Europe. The call opens on October 14, 2025, and closes on December 15, 2025. It offers financial support through travel vouchers worth €500 each, with a total of 30 vouchers available, resulting in a total funding amount of €15,000.

Eligible applicants include bioeconomy innovators such as start-ups, spin-offs, scale-ups, and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Also, enablers in the bioeconomy domain such as investors, research organizations, incubators, and public authority representatives can apply. However, applicants located within 300 kilometers of Brussels are ineligible, and only those from EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries can participate. To promote geographic diversity, 5 out of the 30 vouchers are reserved for applicants from Central and Eastern European countries.

The program aims to assist recipients in learning from Pilot and Demonstration Infrastructures (PDIs) related to the bioeconomy. This initiative emphasizes networking and knowledge transfer rather than traditional project funding stages. Applicants must choose a specific study visit event from a list provided.

The application process is single-stage, requiring potential beneficiaries to fill out an application form and submit it during the designated submission window. The evaluation will determine voucher recipients based on their proposed activities. Successful applicants are expected to engage in various mandatory activities, including attending the selected event, completing a feedback survey, posting on LinkedIn about their participation, and submitting a travel report within ten working days post-event.

The timeline for application processing includes an eligibility check from December 16 to 18, 2025, evaluation from December 19 to 22, and announcement of results on December 23, 2025. The competitive nature of the call suggests a low success rate due to the limited number of vouchers available. While there is no explicit co-funding requirement, participants may need to cover additional travel or accommodation expenses beyond the €500 voucher.

Overall, this program aims to foster innovation and growth within the bioeconomy by enhancing access to pilot plants and testing facilities for SMEs and startups, thereby supporting collaboration across the European bioeconomy landscape.

The COPILOT Open Call 3 Part 2 offers travel vouchers to bioeconomy innovators and enablers to attend study visits and workshops.

General Information:
Opening date: 15 October 2025
Deadline model: single-stage
Deadline date: 15 December 2025 02:00 (Brussels time)
Expected duration of participation: Not specified
Total funding available: 15,000.00 €
Project acronym: COPILOT
Full name of the EU funded project: CO-creating the next generation platform of PILOT and demo infrastructures, unlocking faster innovation and EU bioeconomy growth
Grant agreement number: 101157279
Topic: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-S-01 - EU-wide network of pilot plants and testing facilities, improving SMEs and start-ups' access to scale-up

Submission & Evaluation Process:
How to apply:
1. Download all Open Call 3 documents and read them carefully. Pay particular attention to Annex 1 Guidelines for Applicants.
2. Fill in all information indicated as necessary in the application form. Each applicant needs to choose one event (study visit) from the list provided in the application form.
3. Submit only if you are sure that all needed information is included and during the dedicated application periods for submission.
4. Enjoy your time while waiting for the results!

The COPILOT – Open Calls is a competitive funding programme. The COPILOT - OC3 Part 2 will accept a maximum of 1 application per applicant. In case an applicant submits more than 1 application, only the application submitted first will be considered.

Timeline:
Eligibility and Technical Check: 16/12/2025 to 18/12/2025
Application evaluation: 19/12/2025 to 22/12/2025
Announcement of the results: 23/12/2025

What do we offer (aim of Open Call 3)?
The aim of the COPILOT OPEN CALL 3 is to issue 30 travel vouchers (500€ each) for bioeconomy innovators and enablers to facilitate their attendance of one of the study visits and related workshops organised by fifteen different Pilot and Demonstration Infrastructures (PDIs) located across Europe and active in a variety of technology areas relevant for the bioeconomy.

Who can apply?
Bioeconomy innovators: start-ups, spin-offs, scale-ups and SMEs.
Enablers in the bioeconomy domain: Investors, Research and technology organisations, Incubators, Cluster representatives, Representatives of relevant public authorities / policy-makers responsible for bio-economy sector and research and innovation, Corporates.

Additional requirements:
Applicants that received funding under the COPILOT OC1, OC2, OC3 Part 1, OC3 – Pitch Perfect cannot apply to OC3 Part 2.
Applicants can only receive/win one voucher.
Only entities located more than 300 km from Brussels are eligible to apply.
COPILOT consortium wants to ensure that at least 15% of underrepresented regions receive the voucher. Therefore, 5 vouchers will be reserved for applicants from Central & Eastern European countries.
Applicants need to be located in EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries according to the updated list published by the European Commission.

List of Central and Eastern European countries: https://www.unescwa.org/sd-glossary/central-and-eastern-european-countries-ceecs
List of Horizon Europe eligible countries: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021- 2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf

Full Documentation Kit for the OC3 – Call4Travel Vouchers is available HERE.

Task description:
Mandatory actions:
Attend the selected COPILOT event (study visit) and participate in the feedback survey/evaluate the event. See full list of events HERE.
Follow the LinkedIn page Pilots4U powered by COPILOT and create one post about your participation at the study visit
Travel report: Provide a travel report (See Annex 5 to sub-grant agreement – Travel Report) 10 working days after the event
Payment: After the confirmation of the report and within 5 working days (Annex 6 to sub-grant agreement – Payment Request)

In summary, the COPILOT Open Call 3 Part 2 provides thirty 500€ travel vouchers for bioeconomy innovators and enablers to attend study visits and workshops organized by Pilot and Demonstration Infrastructures across Europe. The call is targeted at startups, SMEs, research organizations, investors, and public authorities involved in the bioeconomy. Applicants must be located more than 300 km from Brussels, and those who have already received funding from previous COPILOT calls are ineligible. A portion of the vouchers is reserved for applicants from Central and Eastern European countries. Successful applicants are required to attend the selected event, participate in a feedback survey, create a LinkedIn post about their participation, and submit a travel report. Payment is processed after the report is confirmed. The call aims to facilitate networking and knowledge exchange within the bioeconomy sector.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are bioeconomy innovators (start-ups, spin-offs, scale-ups, and SMEs) and enablers in the bioeconomy domain (investors, research and technology organizations, incubators, cluster representatives, representatives of relevant public authorities/policy-makers responsible for bio-economy sector and research and innovation, and corporates).

Funding Type: The funding type is a voucher, specifically a travel voucher.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is open to single applicants. The text states that the COPILOT - OC3 Part 2 will accept a maximum of 1 application per applicant.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Applicants need to be located in EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries. Additionally, only entities located more than 300 km from Brussels are eligible to apply. The COPILOT consortium wants to ensure that at least 15% of underrepresented regions receive the voucher; therefore, 5 vouchers will be reserved for applicants from Central & Eastern European countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is the bioeconomy. This includes pilot plants and testing facilities, improving SMEs and start-ups' access to scale-up.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states, Horizon Europe associated countries, and Central and Eastern European countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is aimed at facilitating the attendance of bioeconomy innovators and enablers at study visits and related workshops, suggesting a stage of development, validation, or demonstration where networking and access to pilot infrastructures are beneficial.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is 500€ per travel voucher. A total of 30 travel vouchers are available, with a total funding of 15,000€.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, specifically COPILOT Open Call 3 Part 2.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a travel voucher.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, with eligibility and technical checks, application evaluation, and announcement of results occurring in sequence.

Success Rates: The success rate can be estimated by the number of vouchers available (30) and the likely number of applicants. Without knowing the number of applicants, it is difficult to provide a precise success rate, but it is likely to be below 40% and potentially below 10% given the competitive nature of the call.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no explicit mention of a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The COPILOT OPEN CALL 3 Part 2 provides travel vouchers worth 500€ each to bioeconomy innovators and enablers located in EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries, who are located more than 300km from Brussels. The aim is to facilitate their attendance at study visits and related workshops organized by Pilot and Demonstration Infrastructures (PDIs) across Europe. A total of 30 vouchers are available, and the application process involves downloading the call documents, filling in the application form, and submitting it before the deadline of December 15, 2025. Applicants who have received funding under previous COPILOT calls (OC1, OC2, OC3 Part 1, OC3 – Pitch Perfect) are not eligible. A portion of the vouchers (5) is reserved for applicants from Central and Eastern European countries to ensure representation from underrepresented regions. Successful applicants are required to attend the selected COPILOT event, participate in a feedback survey, follow the Pilots4U LinkedIn page, create a post about their participation, and provide a travel report within 10 working days after the event to receive payment within 5 working days after report confirmation. The call aims to foster innovation and growth in the EU bioeconomy by improving access to pilot plants and testing facilities for SMEs and start-ups.