The European Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind Europe’s most ground-breaking innovations. The prize awards women from across the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe, whose disruptive innovations are driving positive change for people and planet.
The prize is managed jointly by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency and the European Institute for Innovation & Technology. The winners are chosen by an independent expert jury.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has been established under the EU Horizon Europe programme. It has a budget of €10.1 billion to support game changing innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research, to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs.
The strategy and implementation of the EIC is steered by the EIC Board, which has independent members appointed from the world of innovation (entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, corporates and others from the innovation ecosystem).
The EIC and SME Executive Agency responsible for supporting the EIC Board and its President, and for implementing the EIC’s activities which are set out in an annual EIC Work Programme.
The EIC takes a pro-active approach to managing funding under the leadership of EIC Programme Managers who develop visions for innovation and technology breakthroughs and steer portfolios of projects to achieve these goals. EIC Programme Managers have a high level of expertise in their field, and are recruited for limited time periods (up to 4 years) to design and oversee EIC funding in their portfolio areas.
A unique feature of the EIC is that it provides funding for individual companies (mainly startups and SMEs) through both grants and investments. The investments currently take the form of direct equity or quasi-equity investments and are managed by the EIC Fund.
Benefits
There are three prize categories:
- The Women Innovators prize, awarded to the most talented women innovators from across the EU and Associated Countries. The winner is awarded EUR 100 000, and two runners-up are awarded EUR 70 000 and EUR 50 000 respectively;
- The Rising Innovators prize, awarded to promising young innovators under the age of 35. The winner is awarded EUR 50 000, and two runners-up are awarded EUR 30 000 and EUR 20 000 respectively;
- The EIT Women Leadership Award, awarded to exceptional women leaders from the EIT Community. The winner is awarded EUR 50 000, and two runners-up are awarded EUR 30 000 and EUR 20 000 respectively.
Eligibilities
The prize is open to:
- Women (this prize celebrates women in all their diversity)
- Established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country
- Who have founded an innovative company registered at least 2 years before the call’s year.
- Those applying for the Rising Innovators category must be under 35. There is no age limit to apply for the Women Innovators or EIT Women Leadership prize.
Application Process
- Please click on the apply now button to apply for each category on the EU Funding & Tenders portal.
Application Deadline: September 27, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
