This call offers startups a direct pathway into industry — not just funding, but collaboration that responds to real market needs.

What Selected Startups Receive

Startups chosen through this call will gain:

• Up to €55,000 in equity-free funding (Inception + Pilot Phase)
• Tailored mentoring and training from experts in innovation, technology, and business acceleration
• Structured collaboration with large European corporates, co-designing and testing paid pilot projects
• Visibility and support for scaling solutions across Europe
• Access to a growing European network committed to advancing women-led deep tech

This combination of funding + corporate pilots remains one of the very few EU mechanisms that directly link women-led startups to real corporate needs in a zero-equity, low-risk format.

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible, startups must:

• Be based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe-associated country
• Operate in deep tech or digital innovation
• Have at least one woman in a top executive role (CEO, CTO, or Founder) with minimum 25% ownership
• Be at inception or early-growth stage
• Propose a solution addressing one of the 17 corporate challenges

New Corporate Challenges: Real Market Demand, Real Opportunities

For Open Call #2, startups must propose a solution to one of 17 challenges set by Open Horizons’ corporate partners. These challenges reflect real market needs across manufacturing, energy, retail, construction, and advanced materials.

Here are just a few examples:

• AI solutions to improve industrial quality inspection
• Low-carbon and circular construction materials
• Smart robotics supporting manufacturing and maintenance tasks
• Cybersecurity tools protecting smart devices and industrial systems
• Advanced water treatment and recovery solutions for factories

A full list of all 17 challenges, including detailed descriptions, is available in the official guidelines on the project website.

Building on a Strong First Call

Open Call #1 demonstrated the scale of demand from women innovators across Europe:

• 256 full applications from 32 countries
• 900+ draft applications started
• 7 startups selected for the Inception Phase
• 5 of them moving toward corporate co-creation in the Pilot Phase

These numbers reveal a strong appetite for opportunities that combine funding with access to major industry players. Open Horizons continues this mission with a new set of challenges for Open Call #2.

How to Apply

• Deadline: 29 January 2026, 17:00 CET
• All application details are available on the official website.

If you are a woman innovator ready to scale your technology and test it with leading corporates, this call is your gateway to Europe’s deep-tech ecosystem.

About Open Horizons

Open Horizons is a three-year EU-funded project (2025–2027) designed to close the gender gap in deeptech entrepreneurship. It supports women-led startups through cascade funding, mentoring, and partnerships with corporates. The project is coordinated by PEDAL Consulting (Slovakia), with partners SPLORO (Spain), InnovX (Romania), and Migros Ticaret (Türkiye).

More information:
www.open-horizons.eu

This project has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE research and innovation programme, under grant agreement No. 101193231. This press release reflects the views only of the author, and all partners of the project OPEN HORIZONS and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.