The “Open Horizons” Grant Program

The Open Horizons project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme, aims to connect corporations with high-potential women-led startups in the digital and deep-tech sectors. The initiative addresses key challenges such as limited access to funding, lack of partnerships, and difficulties in entering the market.

The program facilitates direct collaboration, where corporations act as first customers, enabling startups to gain early market traction and attract investment.

Program structure:

• A results-driven two-phase approach.
• Initial phase — development of tailored solutions with financial support, mentorship, and expert guidance.
• Piloting phase (5 months) — implementation of a joint project with a corporate partner.

Participants benefit from mentorship, industry networking, and exposure to potential investors, strengthening their market position.

The project runs for 26 months (starting February 1, 2025) and will provide €1.2 million in funding for startups.

The initiative also promotes corporate open innovation and supports women entrepreneurs, contributing to a more inclusive and dynamic deep-tech ecosystem.

The program is implemented by PEDAL, SPLORO, INNOVX, and MIGROS in collaboration with corporate partners.

The Open Horizons programme defines clear requirements for startups applying to participate.

Key criteria:

• The startup must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• Applications must be submitted exclusively via the Sploro online platform.

Company requirements:

• Must qualify as an SME:

  • fewer than 250 employees;

  • annual turnover up to €50 million or balance sheet up to €43 million;

  • autonomy (not controlled by a large enterprise).

Stage of development:

• The startup must be early-stage:

  • registered for at least 6 months;

  • not older than 6 years at submission.

Funding condition:

• The company must have raised no more than €1 million in equity.
• Only equity investments (shares) are counted.

Startup type:

• The solution must fall within digital or deep-tech sectors:

  • deep-tech (AI, robotics, biotech, etc.);

  • digital (SaaS, FinTech, EdTech, digital health, etc.).

Application requirement:

• Applicants must select a published industry challenge and explain how their solution addresses it.

Gender requirement:

• The startup must be women-led:

  • founded or co-founded by a woman;

  • a woman holds a top management role;

  • owns at least 25% of shares.

Additional conditions:

• No bankruptcy or financial misconduct convictions.
• No double funding for the same activities.
• Limits on outsourcing core technical work (maximum 15%).

Failure to meet any of these criteria results in automatic rejection.

Within Open Horizons Open Call #3, a total budget of €475,000 is allocated to support startups through equity-free grants.

Key funding parameters:

• Up to 16 startups will be supported, with 7 advancing to the piloting stage.
• Each company can receive up to €55,000.
• Payments are disbursed based on KPI achievement, participation in programme activities, and performance during the final demo day.

The consortium reserves the right to redistribute any unallocated funds across stages or participants.

Payment criteria:

• Financial support is provided based on achieving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Specific criteria are defined for each stage to determine the exact funding amount.

Programme and funding structure:

• The programme lasts 6 months and includes two stages:

  • Inception Stage (1 month)

  • Piloting Stage (5 months)

• The total funding of up to €55,000 per startup is distributed across both stages depending on performance and engagement with corporate partners.

The Open Horizons programme supports projects across multiple stages, combining solution development and real-world implementation in collaboration with corporate partners.

1. Inception Stage (1 month):

• Development of solutions tailored to corporate use cases.
• Participation in training activities, including Business Model Canvas workshops.
• One-on-one engagement with corporate partners.

• Preparation of key deliverables:

  • business model;

  • 5-month roadmap with KPIs and milestones.

2. Piloting Stage (5 months):

• Implementation of pilot projects (PoC) within corporate environments.
• KPI monitoring (user acquisition, integration, feedback).
• Participation in a final Demo Day to present results.
• Submission of progress reports.

3. Follow-on Stage (3 months):

• Scaling solutions and expanding business opportunities.
• Engagement with corporate venture capital (CVC) and investors.
• Exploration of new customers and markets.
• Support for partnerships and joint ventures.

Additional supported activities:

• Commercialisation (contracts, licensing).
• Strategic scaling (market expansion, fundraising).
• Visibility and outreach (demo events, investor briefings).
• Dissemination under Open Science principles (publications, open data).

Overall, the programme supports innovation development, implementation, commercialisation, and scaling.

Key dates:

• Call launch — March 2, 2026.
• Submission deadline — May 19, 2026, 17:00 (CEST, Brussels time).

Selection stages:

• Proposal evaluation — May to August 2026.
• Remote interviews — August 2026.

Further steps:

• Communication of results — August 2026.
• Legal validation and sub-grant agreement preparation — August 2026.
• Programme start — September 2026.

It is noted that submission timing is determined by the platform’s official deadline, regardless of the applicant’s local time settings.

General conditions:

• Applications must be submitted exclusively via the Sploro platform — no other submission methods are accepted.
• Only documents uploaded through the system will be evaluated.
• The submission deadline is May 19, 2026, 17:00 (CEST, Brussels time).
• No deadline extensions are granted (except for force majeure not related to applicants).

Application steps:

1. Prepare the full application package according to the requirements.
2. Submit the application via the Sploro online platform.
3. Verify completeness and correctness of all submitted documents.
4. Await evaluation and further communication.

Support and Helpdesk:

• All inquiries should be directed to the official email: oh@sploro.eu.
• Applicants are advised to contact support at least two working days before the deadline.
• Late inquiries may not be reviewed.

Technical requirements:

• Any technical issues must be reported before the deadline.
• Submissions or reports after the deadline are not considered, even if delayed by one minute.
• The Helpdesk receipt time is the only valid reference.
• Applicants are advised to submit at least 48 hours in advance.
• Issues must be documented with detailed descriptions and timestamped screenshots.

The evaluation of applications in the Open Horizons programme follows a multi-stage process, combining automated screening, expert assessment, and interviews.

Main evaluation stages:

1. Eligibility check.
2. Automatic red flags screening.
3. Remote expert evaluation.
4. Score normalisation.
5. Interview and final selection.

Remote evaluation criteria:

Applications are assessed across three main dimensions:

• Excellence:

  • alignment with the challenge;

  • level of innovation;

  • feasibility and expected impact;

  • application of open science practices.

• Implementation:

  • team expertise and composition;

  • clarity of the work plan;

  • project structure and timeline;

  • risk management.

• Impact:

  • innovation potential and relevance;

  • market readiness;

  • contribution to strategic transitions (green, digital, etc.);

  • intellectual property management approach.

Scoring system:

• Each criterion is scored on a 0–5 scale.
• Minimum thresholds:

• • at least 3 points per criterion,

  • at least 10 points overall to proceed.

Score definitions:

• 0 — criterion not addressed or insufficient information.
• 1 — poor.
• 2 — fair with significant weaknesses.
• 3 — good with some shortcomings.
• 4 — very good.
• 5 — excellent.

Additional features:

• Each proposal is evaluated by two independent evaluators.
• A mathematical normalisation process is applied to ensure fairness.
• A shortlist (up to 32 proposals) is created before the interview stage.
• Additional points may be awarded based on interview outcomes.

Final selection is based on the overall ranking after all evaluation stages.

Within the Open Horizons programme, a legal entity validation process requires submission of a defined set of documents before final selection.

Core required documents:

• Identification document of the signatory (ID and scanned copy).
• Power of attorney for the person signing the agreement.
• SME declaration to confirm SME status.
• Financial documents:

• • balance sheet and profit & loss statements (last 2 years or available period);

  • CAP table (ownership structure).

Legal registration documents:

• Official company registration documents (name, address, registration number, founders, shareholders).
• VAT/tax registration proof.
• Legal Entity Form (required for EU funding).

For entities with PIC:

• PIC number and proof of “Validated” status in the Funding & Tenders portal.

Financial forms:

• Financial Identification Form (FIF) indicating the bank account.
• Bank statement (not older than 6 months).

Additional materials:

• Team CVs (in English, PDF).
• Gantt chart.
• Company and financial information.

Failure to submit required documents on time results in disqualification from funding. After successful validation, a sub-grant agreement is signed outlining funding terms and conditions.

The programme defines specific reporting requirements linked to KPI achievement and funding stages.

Main types of reports:

• Mid-term progress report — assesses initial pilot progress based on KPIs and milestones and serves as the basis for the first funding disbursement (€20,000).
• Final Review progress report — provides a comprehensive overview of project implementation, including achieved results (e.g., user acquisition, system integration, feedback), challenges, and overall impact. The second disbursement (€20,000) depends on this report.
• Publishable reports submitted by the beneficiary.

Key requirements:

• Reports must demonstrate progress against KPIs and milestones.
• Documentation should include results, challenges, and mitigation actions.
• Reporting is a prerequisite for fund disbursement.

Additional conditions:

• Any technical issues must be reported to the Helpdesk before the official deadline.
• Submissions after the deadline are not considered, even if delayed by one minute.
• Only the time when the Helpdesk receives the message is considered valid.
• Applicants are advised to submit materials at least 48 hours before the deadline.

Language and document format:

• English is the only official language; submissions in other languages are not accepted.
• All documents must be submitted electronically in PDF format.

Conflict of interest:

• Applicants must ensure the absence of any real or potential conflict of interest.
• Applications may be rejected if a conflict is identified.
• Consortium members and affiliated entities are not eligible to apply.

Data protection:

• Data processing complies with GDPR (EU 2016/679).
• Sploro acts as the data controller.
• Applicants must accept data processing terms.

Beneficiaries’ responsibilities:

• Compliance with Horizon Europe funding rules and obligations.
• Maintaining confidentiality of data during the project and for 5 years after completion.

Communication and visibility:

• Beneficiaries must actively communicate their participation and acknowledge EU funding.
• Use of EU and Open Horizons logos is mandatory.
• All communications must include appropriate disclaimers.

Publication of information:

• Information about beneficiaries, projects, funding, and results may be publicly disclosed.
• Beneficiaries must ensure they hold rights to all shared materials.

Financial control:

• The European Commission may conduct audits.
• Beneficiaries must provide access to records and retain documentation for 5 years after project completion.

Communication obligations:

• Appointment of a primary contact person.
• Timely notification of any changes in the project or team.

Open data:

• Project and funding data will be publicly available.
• Information may be published in open-access repositories (e.g., Zenodo).