EU Prize for Women Innovators 2022 opens, awards top women entrepreneurs and rising innovators
- ›The European Innovation Council opened applications for the ninth EU Prize for Women Innovators on 8 March 2022.
- ›Three prizes of EUR 100 000 will be awarded to established women entrepreneurs and three additional EUR 50 000 prizes will go to 'Rising Innovators' under 35.
- ›The competition is funded under Horizon Europe and managed by the European Innovation Council and EISMEA with winners chosen by an independent jury.
- ›The deadline for submissions is 18 August 2022 at 17:00 CET and the call is open to women from EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries including Ukraine.
- ›The prize is presented alongside a suite of EIC measures to support women innovators, but funding gaps and structural barriers remain significant.
EU Prize for Women Innovators 2022 opens on International Women’s Day
On 8 March 2022 the European Innovation Council launched the ninth edition of the EU Prize for Women Innovators. Announced in Strasbourg on International Women’s Day by Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, the competition aims to recognise women entrepreneurs behind disruptive innovations and to provide role models that encourage more women to start and scale businesses. The prize is funded under Horizon Europe and will be managed by the European Innovation Council and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency EISMEA.
What the prize offers and who can apply
The 2022 edition awards three main prizes and, to mark the European Year of Youth, three additional prizes for younger innovators. The competition is open to women who have founded or co-founded an innovative company legally established in an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe. The call explicitly includes applicants from Ukraine. Applications must be submitted by 18 August 2022 at 17:00 CET. Winners will be selected by an independent expert jury.
| Category | Number of prizes | Prize amounts | Age restriction | Eligible applicants |
| EIC Women Innovators | 3 | EUR 100 000 each | None | Women founders of companies established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries |
| EIC Rising Innovators | 3 | EUR 50 000 each | Under 35 | Promising women founders under age 35 from the same geographical scope |
Why the prize matters and the structural context
The prize is positioned as part of a broader EIC effort to improve gender balance in innovation. The organisers frame it as an instrument to showcase role models and to help reduce persistent disparities in founding, funding and leadership. At the same time the prize operates against a stark backdrop. Startups and deep tech remain male dominated. According to statistics cited by the EIC, approximately three quarters of startups in Europe are founded by men, and only 8 percent are founded by all-women teams. Venture capital flows have historically favoured male teams. In 2019, 92 percent of funds raised by European VC-backed companies went to all-male founding teams. The coronavirus pandemic intensified the problem. Funding reported to women founders in 2020 dropped by roughly 31 percent compared with the first three quarters of 2019, while funding for all-male teams fell about 16 percent during the same period.
Application, selection and deadlines
Applications for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2022 opened on 8 March 2022 and closed on 18 August 2022 at 17:00 CET. The call was run under the EIC Work Programme and managed by EISMEA. Submissions were evaluated by an independent expert jury. For administrative questions and contact the call organisers provided the EISMEA email address EISMEA-WIP@ec.europa.eu. The announcement highlighted the participation of associated countries and specifically mentioned eligibility for applicants from Ukraine.
Official statements and stated objectives
Commissioner Mariya Gabriel opened the competition in Strasbourg and framed the prize as part of broader efforts across research, education and innovation to empower women and girls. The EIC described the prize as one of several measures intended to tackle systematic bias and to create fair, inclusive and prosperous innovation ecosystems in Europe.
A critical read of the initiative
The prize is useful as visibility and recognition for women founders. The cash awards can help winners progress. However these awards are modest relative to the scale of financing required to scale deep tech companies. A EUR 100 000 prize is helpful for proof of concept or pilot activity, but it will not substitute for sustained venture investment or structural changes that influence where and how large rounds are allocated. The initiative should be viewed within the EIC's portfolio of measures that include pitching targets for women-led teams, the Women Leadership Programme, Women TechEU and efforts to integrate gender in challenge design. Whether these measures reduce the systemic funding gap will depend on follow through, publicly reported outcome metrics and the ability of the Commission and its agencies to channel follow-on investment to prize winners and programme alumni.
What to watch next
Observers should track a few indicators to judge impact. These include follow-on funding and investment secured by prize winners and finalists, sustained participation of women in EIC Accelerator programmes, and the EIC's reporting on gender targets for pitching and awards. Another important indicator is geographic spread, especially representation from widening ecosystems and countries outside the EU core. Finally monitoring how the EIC links prize winners into broader acceleration, procurement and investor networks will show whether awards translate into longer term growth and scaling.
Practical information and contacts
The 2022 call was managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency EISMEA. Applicants and interested parties were invited to contact the organisers at EISMEA-WIP@ec.europa.eu. The prize is funded under the Horizon Europe framework.
The prize is a recognitional tool within a broader policy mix. It provides a signal that gender balance in research and innovation is a priority. Translating that signal into broader change will require continued funding, tracking and accountability for outcomes beyond visibility.