The Open Horizons Challenge is an EU-funded initiative under the Horizon Europe programme to support European digital and deep-tech startups led by women.

The initiative aims to help women entrepreneurs bridge the funding and collaboration gap by:

• offering grants of up to €55,000 per startup (no equity required)
• providing tailored business support including mentoring, coaching and direct access to corporate partners,
• enhancing visibility in the European innovation ecosystem and facilitates access to investors and commercial avenues.

The project foresees a total cascade funding budget of EUR 1.2 million, which will be distributed through several open calls during the lifetime of the project.

The first call is already open and applications can be submitted until 21 August 2025 at 17:00.

Detailed information and application conditions can be found HERE.