LLM-BRIDGE – Venture Incubation Programme - Open Call for Start-ups – 1st Call
ClosedDescription
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.
Beneficiary & submission
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.
Further information
Help desk
All information about the LLMB Open Call can be found at: https://www.llm-bridge.eu/