LLM-BRIDGE – Venture Incubation Programme - Open Call for Start-ups – 1st Call

Home Funding Calls for proposals LLM-BRIDGE – Venture Incubation Programme - Open Call for Start-ups – 1st Call LLM-BRIDGE – Venture Incubation Programme - Open Call for Start-ups – 1st Call LLM-BRIDGE Grant Cascade funding Internal navigation General information Submission & evaluation process Further information Task description General Information Opening date 01 April 2026 Deadline model single-stage Deadline date 01 June 2026 17:00 (Brussels time) Open For Submission Expected duration of participation 12 weeks Total funding available 125 000,00 € Project acronym LLM-BRIDGE Full name of the EU funded project LLM Booster for Regional Innovation and Digital Growth in Europe Grant agreement number 101226136 Topic DIGITAL-2024-BESTUSE-07-MULTICOUNTRY - Support to the implementation of Multi-Country Projects (MCPs) Submission & evaluation process Submission & evaluation process Proposal submission: All proposals shall be submitted at: https://www.f6s.com/llm-bridge-venture-incubation-program-1/apply Supporting documents: The Supporting documents are available at: https://www.llm-bridge.eu/open-calls-2/open-call-for-startups/ Evaluation process: Eligible proposals will be evaluated by independent external experts, appointed by the LLM-BRIDGE Consortium, to ensure objectivity and impartiality. Each proposal will be assessed by at least two experts using the criteria and scoring system defined in the Evaluation Criteria. Applicants will be notified of the evaluation results within four weeks after completion of the panel ranking. Each applicant will receive an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) containing individual scores, comments, and the final consensus assessment. The successful applicant will be invited to sign a participate in the 12 week programme. At the end of the VIP programme 5 finalists will be selected, eligible to receive 25,000.00 €. Evaluation criteria: Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria. 1. Excellence (Weight: 40%) ·innovation and originality of the solution ·relevance to Generative AI / LLM domain ·technical feasibility ·maturity of concept or prototype 2. Impact (Weight: 30%) ·market need and value proposition ·scalability potential ·potential contribution to European AI ecosystem ·alignment with responsible AI principles 3. Quality and Efficiency of Implementation (Weight: 30%) ·team expertise and complementarity ·execution capacity ·clarity of development roadmap ·scalability and sustainability of implementation Thresholds: Programme Selection To be selected: Minimum score per criterion: 3/5 Minimum overall score: 9/15 Final selection may consider: ·portfolio balance. ·geographic diversity. ·thematic relevance. Show more Further information Help desk All information about the LLMB Open Call can be found at: https://www.llm-bridge.eu/ Task description Task description The Venture Incubation Programme (VIP) call aims to select 30 early-stage GenAI startups to participate in a 12-week incubation programme taking place in summer 2026. The programme will support the development and scaling of innovative ventures working with large language model (LLM) technologies. Selected startups will receive structured support throughout the programme, including entrepreneurial mentoring, technical guidance, access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources and data infrastructures, as well as regulatory and responsible AI orientation. The VIP also seeks to accelerate the commercialisation of LLM-based solutions, promote responsible AI innovation in line with key European frameworks (such as the AI Act, Data Act, GDPR, and the Digital Decade Targets), and foster cross-border collaboration and inclusivity within the European AI ecosystem. Following the completion of the programme, up to five of the best-performing startups will be awarded a €25,000 Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) prize to further advance their development and growth. The programme will be implemented by a selected incubation partner in collaboration with the LLM-BRIDGE consortium members.