European Historic Houses

MetaHeritage Pitching Showcase: Call for Investment Ideas in Digital Heritage, Immersive Technologies and Cultural Tourism 

07. 08. 2026, Online

Showcase Your Innovation at the MetaHeritage Pitching Showcase

Do you have an innovative idea, startup, research project, or business concept that is contributing to the future of cultural heritage, tourism, and digital innovation?

MetaHeritage is inviting innovators from across Europe and beyond to apply for its Pitching Showcase: Call for Investment Ideas in Digital Heritage, Immersive Technologies and Cultural Tourism.

The initiative aims to identify and highlight promising solutions at the intersection of culture, technology, and creativity. It supports selected ideas by increasing their visibility, strengthening their investment readiness, and connecting them with relevant stakeholders across Europe.

Applicants selected through the call will be invited to present their projects during the online MetaHeritage Pitching Showcase on 5 October 2026.

What kind of ideas are we looking for?

We are looking for ideas that use digital technologies to transform how cultural heritage and tourism are preserved, interpreted, experienced, and promoted.

This includes projects that focus on virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and immersive experiences. We also welcome digital twins, metaverse applications, artificial intelligence for cultural heritage, smart tourism platforms, interactive storytelling solutions, and innovative visitor engagement technologies.

We are equally interested in sustainable cultural tourism models, heritage digitisation and data-driven services, as well as digital tools that connect heritage institutions, local communities, and new audiences.

Priority areas

We are particularly interested in ideas that relate to innovation in the wine sector, historic houses and heritage hotels, wellness tourism, cycling and hiking tourism, metaverse applications, AI-powered heritage solutions, industrial heritage transformation, European cultural tourism experiences, and interregional heritage routes and ecosystems.

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from startups and SMEs, researchers and universities, cultural institutions and museums, tourism organisations, technology providers, public authorities, and creative industries. We also encourage applications from cross-sector partnerships that bring together different areas of expertise.

What participants will gain

Selected participants will have the opportunity to present their ideas to an international audience and gain visibility within the European heritage innovation ecosystem. They will also have the chance to connect with cultural institutions, researchers, innovators, and potential investors.

In addition, participants will receive valuable feedback on their concepts and may explore future collaboration and development opportunities within the wider MetaHeritage network.

Key dates

The application deadline is 7 August 2026, and the online Pitching Showcase will take place on 5 October 2026.

Important information

Participation in the MetaHeritage Pitching Showcase is completely free of charge. However, participation does not guarantee any financial award, funding, investment, grant, or prize. The initiative is designed to support visibility, networking, knowledge exchange, and investment-readiness.

As digital transformation continues to reshape the cultural sector, new ideas are needed to unlock more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative ways of engaging with cultural heritage.The MetaHeritage Pitching Showcase offers a unique opportunity to join a growing European ecosystem where innovation meets heritage.

Apply now
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