Women Tech.EU initiative

The Women TechEU initiative, funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC), aims to support early-stage, women-led deep tech startups across Europe. This call is not for direct startup funding, but rather to select a consortium that will design, implement, and manage the Women TechEU scheme. The selected consortium will be responsible for launching calls for startups, disbursing financial support, ensuring mentoring access, and managing the full lifecycle of the initiative. The action will run for 2 years, with the possibility of a 1-year extension, and must dedicate at least 75% of the total budget to third-party grants (EUR 75,000 max per startup). Strong communication, outreach, and coordination with EIC services are required.

Projects admissible for this opportunity are those led by consortia capable of:

• Designing and managing a funding program for third parties (i.e., women-led startups);
• Organizing minimum two startup calls per year, possibly with multiple cut-off dates;
• Conducting proposal evaluations using EIC Accelerator-like criteria;
• Awarding grants of up to EUR 75,000 to selected startups;
• Managing project reviews and monitoring milestones;
• Facilitating access to mentoring and coaching via the Women Leadership Programme and EIC Business Acceleration Services;
• Organizing landmark events to foster networking among grantees;
• Implementing a robust communication & branding strategy for outreach across the EU, especially underrepresented Member States;
• Reporting performance data to the European Commission (e.g., applications, funding allocated, demographics).

• Personnel costs
• Subcontracting
• Travel and subsistence
• Equipment (depreciation or rental)
• Consumables and materials
• Dissemination and communication
• Access to research infrastructure
• IPR and certification
• Audit costs
• Indirect costs (25% flat rate)
• Internally invoiced services

• Budget for this Call: 15,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1
• Budget per grant: 15,000,000€

• Be a legally formed consortium of organizations experienced in startup support, innovation management, and/or funding administration;

• Have the operational capacity to manage European-level calls for proposals, including evaluation, grant agreement, and monitoring;

• Include entities with experience in gender equity, deep tech, and/or entrepreneurship ecosystems;

• Be capable of ensuring geographical and technological diversity in selected beneficiaries;

• Commit to allocating ≥75% of the total budget to financial support to third parties;

• Demonstrate capacity to design, promote, and deliver high-quality networking, communication, and visibility actions;