Open Horizons Open Call #3

Open Horizons Open Call #3 is the third and final cascade funding call under the Horizon Europe Startup Europe action to support early-stage women-led digital and deep-tech startups. The call allocates €475,000 in third-party funding with up to €55,000 per startup disbursed equity-free across a 1-month Inception stage (€10,000) and a 5-month Piloting stage (up to €45,000) subject to milestones and KPIs. Eligible applicants are autonomous SMEs established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country that are women-led with at least 25 percent cumulative women shareholding and proposals addressing one of the programme’s 12 corporate challenges. Single-stage applications must be submitted via the Sploro platform or the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time and will undergo semi-automatic eligibility checks, remote expert evaluation and interviews.

What it funds

Purpose

Equity-free cascade funding and an open innovation programme to pilot and scale women-led digital and deep-tech solutions with corporate partners across Europe. Support covers a 1-month inception (mentoring and pilot roadmap) and a 5-month piloting stage (implementation with a corporate partner), plus follow-on commercialisation support.

Funding available:This specific call allocates €475,000 in third-party funding. At project level Open Horizons offers €1.2 million across calls; individual startups may receive up to €55,000 (€10,000 in Inception and up to €45,000 in Piloting), paid against KPIs and deliverables ¹.

Who can apply

Early-stage, autonomous SMEs established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country that are women-led (cis or trans founders/co-founders in top management, collectively owning at least 25% of shares) operating in digital or deep-tech domains (examples: AI, advanced computing, life sciences, robotics, IoT, green tech, fintech).

Key facts and process

1. 1Opening date: 02 March 2026
2. 2Deadline (single-stage): 19 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
3. 3Submission via the Sploro online form; applicants must follow the Guidelines for Applicants
4. 4Evaluation: automated eligibility and alignment filters, remote expert review (impact, excellence, implementation), score normalisation, interviews (up to 32), final ranking and selection (up to 16 startups for funding)
5. 5Selected projects require final screening/approval by EISMEA prior to contracting

Benefits include paid corporate pilots, mentoring, investor exposure, corporate matchmaking and post-pilot commercialisation support delivered by the consortium partners (e.g., INNOVX, MIGROS, Sploro). Apply and find full guidance on eligibility and the submission form via the official project pages Open Horizons - Apply and the EU portal Opportunity details. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Consult the Guidelines for Applicants on the project website or Sploro platform for complete eligibility criteria, submission instructions and annexes: Open Horizons Guidelines

Open Horizons Open Call #3 is the third and final competitive cascade funding call under the Horizon Europe Startup Europe action HORIZON-EIE. It targets early-stage, women-led startups in digital and deep tech to co-develop and pilot solutions with leading European corporations. The call opened on 02 March 2026 and closes on 19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants apply via the programme’s online submission platform and compete for equity-free financial support combined with structured open-innovation services.

Key Facts

Purpose and Programme Structure

The call selects promising, women-led early-stage startups in digital and deep tech and enrolls them in a tailored open-innovation programme that connects them with corporate partners to address real-world challenges. The programme delivers staged equity-free funding and hands-on services to accelerate market validation and growth. Over 26 months, Open Horizons will distribute €1.2 million across three calls; this third call offers a combined package of grant funding and services culminating in piloted proofs of concept with corporations and post-pilot growth support.

Who Should Apply

• Legal status and location: Startups established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• Company profile: Early-stage startups that qualify as Autonomous SMEs under Horizon Europe rules.
• Leadership and ownership: Women-led (cis or trans) companies where women are legally recognised founders/co-founders in top management roles; women collectively own at least 25% of company shares.
• Technology scope: Digital and deep tech companies operating in domains such as artificial intelligence, advanced computing, life sciences, robotics, cybersecurity, Next Generation Internet, blockchain, Internet of Things, metaverse, energy, green tech, agritech, and fintech.

Who is not eligible:Foundations and associations; applicants with past convictions or in bankruptcy procedures; applicants intending to subcontract key technical or innovation tasks (e.g., to external developers or research centres).

Funding and Services Package

• Inception Stage (1 month): €10,000 grant per selected startup to co-develop a pilot roadmap with mentoring and structured preparation.
• Piloting Stage (5 months): Implementation of a pilot with a corporate partner, with up to €45,000 in additional grant funding per startup. Only approximately half of the Inception cohort progresses to Piloting based on performance and fit.
• Follow-on Stage (3 months): Non-financial strategic growth services post-pilot, focusing on CVC engagement, partnerships, investor exposure, and commercialisation, led by INNOVX and MIGROS.
• Programme of Services: Training, corporate matchmaking, mentoring, and investor exposure are provided throughout. Funding is milestone-based and linked to KPIs, deliverables, final reporting, and Demo Day participation.

Corporate Challenges and Target Domains

Applicants are expected to address one of the corporate-defined innovation challenges aligned with digital and deep tech domains. Corporate partners span multiple industries, offering testbeds and market access for pilots.

• Typical domains: Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Computing, Cybersecurity, Next Generation Internet, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Metaverse, Energy, Green Tech, Agritech, Fintech, Life Sciences, Robotics.
• Illustrative corporate partners: Siemens Industry Software, Stahl, Repsol, Holcim, Microsoft, EY, PPC, ELYAF, LG Electronics, Alumil, Tüpraş, Fincantieri, PENNY, Colliers.

Submission and Evaluation

Submission method:Applications must be submitted through the official online submission platform and will only be considered if received via that platform: Application Portal.

Application dossier and form structure:Applicants complete an online form on the Sploro platform and follow the Guidelines for Applicants and annexes. The online form covers: (1) Legal and contact information; (2) Eligibility self-declaration; (3) Project description covering excellence, implementation, and impact; (4) Startup information; (5) Ethics self-assessment; (6) Declaration of Honour; (7) Personal Data Protection information.

Evaluation workflow and selection volumes

1. 1Eligibility check: Semi-automatic filter against 12 mandatory eligibility criteria.
2. 2Automatic red flags: Automated alignment screening against programme objectives.
3. 3Experts’ remote evaluation: Two independent external evaluators per proposal (one technical, one business/commercial) assess Impact, Excellence, and Implementation.
4. 4Score normalisation: Normalisation to ensure balanced distribution and mitigate bias.
5. 5Interview: Up to 32 top-ranked startups are invited to online interviews.
6. 6Final selection: Remote evaluation and interview scores are combined to rank proposals. Up to 16 startups are preselected for funding. Tie-breaker rules apply in the event of equal scores. Prior to contracting, EISMEA approval and final screening are required.

Important:Funding allocation is contingent on KPI achievement, milestone completion, deliverables, final reporting, and participation in Demo Day. Not all startups reaching Inception will proceed to Piloting; approximately half are expected to advance based on performance and fit with corporate partners and available budget within this call.

Detailed Categorisation and Structured Extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Startup; SME; early-stage company; women-led enterprise. Universities, research institutes, nonprofits, and large enterprises are not the intended beneficiaries unless they qualify as women-led early-stage Autonomous SMEs under Horizon Europe criteria. Foundations and associations are explicitly ineligible.

Funding Type:Grant via cascade funding (financial support to third parties). Equity-free, milestone- and KPI-linked disbursements.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant startup. No multi-beneficiary consortia are required. Collaboration with assigned corporate partners occurs within the programme framework; key tasks cannot be subcontracted.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Target Sector:Digital and deep tech, including but not limited to artificial intelligence, advanced computing, cybersecurity, Next Generation Internet, blockchain, Internet of Things, metaverse, energy, green tech, agritech, fintech, life sciences, and robotics. Corporate challenge areas span industrial software, materials, climate tech, built environment, energy, maritime, electronics, retail, and real estate.

Mentioned Countries:Regionally specified as EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Individual countries are not enumerated in the call text; Türkiye is referenced indirectly through Tüpraş as a corporate partner, but this does not alter applicant geographic eligibility.

Project Stage:Early-stage startups progressing from development and validation to real-world demonstration through pilots. The programme provides a 1-month inception scoping stage and a 5-month piloting stage to execute proofs of concept with corporates, followed by a 3-month post-pilot growth support phase.

Funding Amount:Up to €55,000 per startup across two phases: €10,000 in the Inception Stage and up to €45,000 in the Piloting Stage. Call-level budget available is €475,000. Actual disbursements depend on milestone achievement, KPI attainment, and progression to Piloting.

Application Type:Open call with single-stage submission via the official online platform. Only applications submitted through the designated portal are eligible. See application page: Application Portal.

Nature of Support:Money and non-monetary services. Financial support to third parties (equity-free grants) plus training, mentoring, corporate matchmaking, investor exposure, and post-pilot growth services.

Application Stages:Six evaluation phases from eligibility to final selection: eligibility check; automatic red flags; experts’ remote evaluation; score normalisation; interview; final selection with EISMEA screening.

Success Rates:Not published in the call documentation. Indicatively, up to 32 applicants are interviewed and up to 16 are preselected for funding in this call.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding required. Funding is equity-free and linked to milestones and KPIs. Key technical tasks must be performed by the beneficiary and cannot be subcontracted.

Timeline and Participation Stages

Templates and Application Form Structure

1. 1Guidelines for Applicants and annexes: Comprehensive rules, eligibility, evaluation details, KPI and milestone framework, funding conditions, and reporting obligations.
2. 2Online Form Sections (Sploro platform): 1) Legal and Contact Information; 2) Eligibility Self-declaration; 3) Project Description (Excellence, Implementation, Impact) detailing the proposed pilot concept, value proposition, technical approach, team capabilities, work plan, KPIs, and risk management; 4) Startup Information (company profile, ownership and women’s shareholding structure, financials, and traction); 5) Ethics Self-assessment (compliance, data protection, ethics-by-design); 6) Declaration of Honour; 7) Personal Data Protection information.
3. 3Supporting materials: As specified in the guidelines, applicants may be asked to provide evidence for SME status, incorporation and shareholding, and any letters of intent or prior PoC references relevant to the targeted corporate challenge.
4. 4Submission policy: Only applications submitted via the official online portal are eligible. Late or emailed applications are not accepted.

Governance, Screening, and Compliance

The Open Horizons consortium conducts eligibility, alignment, and expert evaluations. Prior to contracting, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) must approve the list of top-ranked applicants, and selected startups are submitted to EISMEA for final screening. Ethics, data protection, and conflict-of-interest policies apply, and key tasks cannot be subcontracted to external development teams or research centres.

Practical Tips for Applicants

• Align tightly with a specific corporate challenge and articulate the pilot value, metrics, and integration pathway.
• Demonstrate women’s leadership and at least 25% cumulative shareholding by women, with clear documentation.
• Quantify Impact, Excellence, and Implementation rigorously; include a realistic work plan, KPIs, and risk mitigation.
• Highlight technical and commercial complementarity in the team; show readiness for a 1+5 month pilot cycle.
• Prepare concise evidence of traction and feasibility (e.g., previous pilots, customer discovery, lab validations).

Comprehensive Summary

Open Horizons Open Call #3 is a Horizon Europe Startup Europe cascade funding opportunity tailored to women-led early-stage startups in digital and deep tech across the EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The programme couples equity-free grants with corporate testbeds and expert services to translate promising technologies into validated pilots and commercial pathways. Startups submit a single-stage application via the official Sploro portal, undergo a six-phase evaluation process, and, if selected, enter a staged support model: a 1-month Inception Stage (€10,000) to co-develop a pilot roadmap, followed by a 5-month Piloting Stage (up to €45,000) with a corporate partner, and then a 3-month Follow-on Stage for growth support. The call reserves €475,000 and aims to preselect up to 16 startups, of which approximately half typically progress to piloting based on performance and fit. Eligibility focuses on early-stage Autonomous SMEs with women in founding/top management roles and at least 25% cumulative women’s shareholding, operating in areas such as AI, advanced computing, cybersecurity, NGI, blockchain, IoT, metaverse, energy, green tech, agritech, fintech, life sciences, and robotics. Ineligible entities include foundations and associations, and key technical tasks cannot be subcontracted. The value proposition is twofold: equity-free funding and a structured open-innovation pathway with corporations including Siemens Industry Software, Microsoft, EY, Holcim, Repsol, LG Electronics, Fincantieri, Tüpraş, and others. Funding is disbursed upon KPI and milestone achievement and subject to final EISMEA screening before contracting. In short, this call is a focused route for women-led digital and deep tech startups to secure non-dilutive capital, validate solutions through real-world pilots, and accelerate toward investment and scale with direct corporate collaboration.

Open Horizons Open Call #3 is the third and final cascade funding call under the EU-funded Horizon Europe project (Grant Agreement 101193231), aimed at supporting early-stage women-led digital and deep-tech startups. The programme connects selected startups with leading European corporations for pilot projects, providing equity-free funding, mentoring, and growth opportunities to address the gender funding gap in innovation.

Key Dates and Budget

Opening Date:2 March 2026.

Deadline:19 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (CEST). Single-stage submission.

Total Budget:€475,000 available for this call, part of €1.2 million overall programme funding across three calls.

Expected Selections:Up to 16 startups for Inception Stage; up to 7-8 advance to Piloting Stage (only half of initial cohort progresses).¹

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet all criteria strictly, verified via a semi-automatic eligibility check with 12 criteria. Ineligible applications are rejected immediately.

• Established as a legal entity in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (e.g., Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, UK).
• Autonomous SME per Horizon Europe definition: registered 6 months to 6 years ago, raised less than €1 million in equity.
• Women-led: Legally recognised female (cis or trans) founder/co-founder in top management role (e.g., CEO, CTO); women cumulatively own at least 25% of shares.
• Early-stage digital or deep-tech focus: AI, advanced computing, cybersecurity, next-generation internet, blockchain, IoT, metaverse, energy, green tech, agritech, fintech, robotics, life sciences, advanced materials, etc. Off-the-shelf tech without innovation ineligible.
• Addresses one of 12 published corporate challenges from partners (e.g., Siemens, Stahl, Repsol, Holcim, Microsoft, EY, PPC, ELYAF, LG Electronics, Alumil, Tupras, Fincantieri, PENNY, Colliers).
• No bankruptcy, convictions for fraud, or double funding; key tasks (core tech development) cannot be subcontracted (>15% budget outsourcing not allowed); not foundations/associations.

Individual startups only; no consortia. Full details in Guidelines for Applicants on the project website.

Funding and Programme Structure

Equity-free funding at 100% rate, disbursed in milestones linked to KPIs, deliverables, reporting, and Demo Day participation. Total per startup: up to €55,000.

Additional services:Training, corporate matchmaking, mentoring, investor exposure, networking.

Application and Evaluation Process

Submit exclusively via Sploro online platform (online form with 7 sections:legal/contact info, eligibility self-declaration, project description, startup info, ethics, honour declaration, data protection). Only online submissions eligible. Guidelines and annexes mandatory reading.

1. 1Eligibility check (12 criteria, semi-automatic).
2. 2Automatic red flags (alignment with objectives, scalability, investment interest).
3. 3Remote expert evaluation (2 evaluators: technical + commercial; criteria: Excellence, Implementation, Impact).
4. 4Score normalisation.
5. 5Online interviews (top 32).
6. 6Final ranking and preselection (top 16); EISMEA approval.

Results expected August 2026. Contact:oh@sploro.eu for questions. Info Days: 18 March 2026 (10:00 CEST), 16 April 2026 (16:00 CEST).²

Corporate Challenges and Partners

Must align proposal to one of 12 challenges in areas like industrial AI/manufacturing, advanced materials/circular economy, FinTech/RegTech, retail/logistics, HR tech/automation, data analytics. Partners include Siemens Industry Software, Stahl, Repsol, Holcim, Microsoft, EY, PPC, ELYAF, LG Electronics, Alumil, Tupras, Fincantieri, PENNY, Colliers.

Project Background

Coordinated by PEDAL Consulting (Slovakia), with partners Sploro (Spain), InnovX (Romania), Migros (Türkiye). Part of HORIZON-EIE Startup Europe. Runs 2025-2027 to fund 39 startups total via 3 calls.

Apply via EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Portal or project site Open Horizons. Full guidelines essential.

Footnotes

1. 1Numbers vary slightly by source; up to 16 inception, half advance (EISMEA site confirms up to 16/7).
2. 2Info Days on project website openhorizonsproject.eu.