Next Funding Deadlines in One Place #July'25

Hey Founder,

A fresh wave of opportunities to fuel your startup's growth is here! This month, we're deep-diving into the available grants: requiring diverse teams, EU added values, DeepTech and/or Urban Mobility.

Most of all, get inspired by a founder's story on securing equity-free funding.

Let's get you funded!

🔥 Hottest Grant Opportunities

• Journalism Science Alliance – Call for Applications

  • Deadline: August 4, 2025, 17:00 CEST

  • Budget: Grants of €10,000, €20,000, or €50,000 for 8 months

  • Perfect for: Teams working at the intersection of journalism and science, developing innovative projects.

  • Eligibility: Open to legal entities (e.g., startups, research institutes, media organizations).

  • What: Supports investigative projects that address topics of public interest, such as climate change, healthcare, emerging technologies, or local governance.

• Women TechEU Open Call #4

  • Deadline: August 4, 2025, 17:00 (Brussels time)

  • Budget: Up to €75,000 (equity-free) for 6 months

  • Perfect for: Early-stage digital or DeepTech startups founded or co-founded by women with at least 25% ownership in C-level.

  • Eligibility: Must be established at least six months prior to call opening, operating not more than 8 years, raised up to €1M in equity, before high fidelity MVP

  • What: Provides equity-free funding and a personalized business development program, including female mentors, investor outreach, investor/export readiness checks, soft skills training, sales strategy, environmental impact assessment, and corporate access.

• AI for Climate Action Accelerator by Impact HUB Berlin

  • Deadline: August 4, 2025, 23:59 (Berlin time)

  • Budget: Programme including workspace, investor & partner networking, and mentoring during its 3-month duration. For participants based outside of Berlin, travel and accommodation expenses for the first and final weeks will be covered.

  • Perfect for: Incorporated seed-stage ClimateTech ventures, based in Germany

  • What: Provides tools, network, and mentors to scale and make a real difference for the planet.

• 5th REINFORCING Open Call (Incubators Call) on "Responsible Digitalization"

  • Deadline: August 5, 2025, 17:00 (Brussels time)

  • Budget: Up to €60,000 per consortium for 12 months

  • Perfect for: Digital solutions with strong ethical, legal, and social considerations, addressing challenges like privacy, transparency, trust, misinformation, and manipulation.

  • Eligibility: A consortium must include at least 2 entities from EU Member States or Associated Countries, where the main applicant (coordinator) must have little or no prior experience in Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI) .

  • What: Supports projects that implement new modes of research and innovation (R&I) to drive just transitions in digitalization, ensuring ethical, legitimate, reflective, and societally relevant development. Requires releasing an ORRI resource/tool and active participation in program activities.

• Open Horizons Open Call #1

  • Deadline: August 21, 2025, 17:00 (Brussels time)

  • Budget: Up to €55,000 (equity-free). This is split: €10,000 for a 1-month Inception Stage, and up to €45,000 for a 5-month Piloting Stage.

  • Perfect for: Early-stage digital or DeepTech startups founded or co-founded by women with at least 25% ownership in C-level.

  • Eligibility: Must be established at least six months prior to call opening, operating not more than 8 years, raised up to €1M in equity, before high fidelity MVP.

  • What: Equity-free funding and a 6-month acceleration program to pilot tailored solutions with corporate partners.

• Scaleup Mobility Programme 2025 by EIT Urban Mobility

  • Deadline: August 24, 2025, 23:59 (Brussels time)

  • Budget: Programme contents plus €2,500 lump-sum contribution (for travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs). Opportunity for additional EIT Urban Mobility funding through a fast-track mechanism .

  • Perfect for: Growth-ready startups redefining urban mobility, with proven market traction and a clear investment roadmap, incorporated after December 31, 2014 with at least 2 full-time employees and has closed a fundraising round, still owning more than 50% of the shares.

  • Broader Eligibility: Female founder or C-Level is an award criterion.

  • What: A three-month pan-European program offering tailored mentoring (up to 30-40h), direct access to key stakeholders, participation at flagship events (Tomorrow.Mobility 2025, Ultimate Demo Day in Munich), and potential recommendation for EIT Urban Mobility Impact Ventures investment.

🧠 Brain Food: Maximizing Your "EU Added Value" in Grant Applications

Beyond meeting eligibility, a key differentiator in EU grant applications is demonstrating "EU Added Value." This means showing how your project contributes to broader European objectives, such as fostering EU technology, using open-source solutions, exploiting EU data, or strengthening European competitiveness. For example, the "Responsible Digitalization" call explicitly seeks projects that guide digital transformation in a way that is fair, sustainable, and beneficial for everyone across Europe.

Clearly articulate how your solution aligns with these strategic goals, not just your business goals, to significantly boost your chances.

⚡ Quick Win: Crafting a Compelling Video Pitch

In the era of AI, a short personal video pitch proves a common part of funding applications. Many grants and accelerators now require a video pitch to quickly convey your vision and team's passion. Don't just read your pitch deck! Focus on:

1. Clarity: Explain your problem, solution, and impact concisely.

2. Passion: Let your enthusiasm for your startup shine through.

3. Team: Briefly introduce your key team members and their expertise.

4. Call to Action: What do you want the evaluators to do next?

Practice makes perfect! Record yourself, get feedback, and refine until your video pitch truly stands out.

🗓️ Event Pick

Webinar: ScaleUp Programme Info Session

• Date/Time: August 5, 2025, 13:00 - 14:00 CEST

• Why attend: Learn how to apply for EIT Urban Mobility’s ScaleUp Programme and network with possible (consortium) partners in Urban Mobility

• Relevant areas: Encompassing but not limited to the following fields or areas: Public transport, Health and mobility, Electrification of transport and alternative fuels, Mobility data management, Public space design, Urban vehicle access regulations, Mobility planning, Urban logistics, New mobility services, Cooperative, connected and automated mobility, Road safety, Parking and curb side management

💬 Startup Story: How Siyanna Secured Equity-Free Funding

This month, we chat with Siyanna, a founder who successfully secured regional funding as a start, followed by the prestigious Techstars incubator in Berlin, and now through the Women TechEU initiative. Her story highlights the power of targeted opportunities and the benefits of cascade funding:

1. How did you discover this grant opportunity and decide to go for it? 

A batchmate from Techstars sent me the link to the Women TechEU website and suggested I apply because they thought my profile was a great fit. I checked out the requirements (deep tech start-up led by a woman co-founder) and the grant offer (78k EUR equity free plus a personalized mentorship program) and I immediately thought 'That really does sound like a great fit, why not go for it!' What finally convinced me was the application form itself - it was clear, straightforward, and didn’t look like it would take a ridiculous amount of time to complete.

2. How did you tackle the grant process? 

Honestly, I really appreciated how simple and direct the process was. There’s just one application form, submitted through the Sploro platform, and that’s it. I needed to record a short video pitch for our startup, but apart from that, I already had most of the materials and information they asked for: a pitch deck, team overview and CVs, financials, a SWOT analysis, etc. The team CVs needed to be in Europass format, so getting everyone to reformat their CVs was probably the most annoying/time-consuming part of the application process. Otherwise, the process it was really manageable.

3. What were your learnings about yourself, your startup and the funding opportunity? 

Frankly, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time on the application, so by the time I got the 'Congratulations!' email, I had almost forgotten I’d even applied. It was such a great surprise! What stood out to me is how positive the whole Women TechEU experience has been so far. Normally, when I hear 'grant application,' I think of long, painful processes that eat into time I’d rather spend building the company. I always have to weigh the odds of getting the grant against the time investment. But this showed me that not all grant processes are like that, especially when it comes to cascade funding. It was a reminder to stay open to these kinds of opportunities because you might just get them.

4. What advice would you give to fellow founders? 

Actively look for funding opportunities and accelerator-like grant programs. Cascade funding in particular could be much more founder-friendly than expected. Accelerators like Techstars are great, but you end up giving your equity at a very low valuation and they might not always be the best fit. If your goal is to keep your equity and still get both mentorship and some cash in, definitely seek out opportunities like Women TechEU.

Thank you for sharing your insights, dear Siyanna!

Stay connected to Siyanna and her startup, CuratedAI:

• Siyanna’s LinkedIn

• [email protected] 

• CuratedAI on LinkedIn

• www.curatedai.eu 

☕ If you enjoy this newsletter, forward it to that one person with whom you are chatting about your start-up over a cup of coffee – everything is easier together!

For more updates, let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Here's to your next funding success!

Your GrantHive team

European Grants • Expert Guidance • Collaborative Platform