Open Innovation Factory

Open Innovation Factory sits under 28DIGITAL, formerly EIT Digital, as a curated matching platform for European deep-tech startups. Its role is to connect companies with corporate co-creation projects, EU cascade-funded calls, and targeted investment opportunities, so it works as a routing layer rather than a standalone grantmaker. The record also links the platform to grant-backed routes with a European deep-tech focus. One associated route reaches up to €400,000 per project and requires consortia with at least two partners from at least two countries. The geography is EU-wide, the instrument is grant-based, and the program is described as active with multiple opportunities per year. The matching platform itself can accept a broad range of organisations, including for-profit companies, nonprofits, universities, and research organisations, while individuals are excluded. This is a good fit for teams that already have a collaboration story and can plug into partner-led opportunities quickly. The best applicants are likely to arrive with a clear technical proposition, a credible partner mix, and enough organisational readiness to move from match to project without long delay. The value of the platform is in access to the right opportunity stream and the right counterpart, not in a direct award from the platform itself.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.