EU selects first 50 women-led deep-tech start-ups under Women TechEU pilot

Brussels, March 1st 2022

Summary

›The European Commission selected 50 women-led deep-tech start-ups for the first Women TechEU pilot.
›Each selected company receives a €75,000 grant plus mentoring through the EIC Women Leadership Programme and EU-wide networking.
›The cohort spans 15 countries with more than 40 companies based in EU Member States and roughly a fifth in Horizon Europe associated countries.
›The Commission plans to scale the initiative in 2022 with a €10 million budget designed to support about 130 companies.
›The programme targets early, high-risk phases of deep-tech ventures where women are underrepresented but can deliver innovations addressing climate, health, food waste and education.

Commission backs first cohort of women-led deep-tech start-ups via Women TechEU pilot

On 1 March 2022 the European Commission announced the results of the first call under Women TechEU, a pilot scheme launched to support deep-tech start-ups led by women. The initiative sits under the European Innovation Ecosystems strand of Horizon Europe and combines small grants with tailored mentoring and networking. The Commission says it will support a first cohort of 50 companies drawn from 15 countries.

What Women TechEU provides

The pilot offers an individual grant of €75,000 per company intended to help teams take the initial, riskiest steps in the innovation process and to accelerate company growth. Beyond the cash award, beneficiaries are enrolled in mentoring and coaching under the European Innovation Council Women Leadership Programme. The scheme also provides EU-wide networking opportunities and access to business acceleration services and events intended to raise visibility and investor readiness.

Women TechEU pilot:An EU initiative funded under Horizon Europe's European Innovation Ecosystems work programme. It targets early-stage, women-led deep-tech start-ups with grants, mentoring, coaching and networking to improve survival chances in capital intensive, long R&D ventures.

Grant size and duration:Each selected company receives €75,000. Projects are expected to start in spring 2022 and run for between six and twelve months.

Item	Value	Notes
Cohort size	50 companies	Selected from 15 countries
Grant per company	€75,000	Paid as an individual grant
Project duration	6 to 12 months	Expected start spring 2022
Geographic spread	15 countries	More than 40 in EU Member States; about one fifth from widening countries; roughly one fifth in associated countries
Next call budget	€10 million	Planned in 2022 to fund roughly 130 companies

Who is administering and evaluating the scheme

The call and the pilot are implemented under the European Innovation Ecosystems work programme of Horizon Europe. Evaluation of applications was carried out by independent experts. The European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency, EISMEA, manages the relevant EIC business acceleration services and is the operational contact point for the programme.

EISMEA:The European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency implements EIC programmes and manages several SME and innovation-related EU instruments including Women TechEU.

Types of innovations selected

According to the Commission the selected companies develop cutting-edge and disruptive technologies across multiple domains. Examples mentioned include tools for earlier cancer diagnosis and treatments and solutions to cut methane emissions. The firms claim alignment with sustainable development goals such as tackling climate change, reducing food waste, widening access to education and empowering women.

Geographic and equity dimensions

The cohort is spread across 15 countries. More than 40 companies are based in EU Member States. Around a fifth of the winners come from Horizon Europe widening countries, that is EU member states that the Commission classifies as lagging behind in research and innovation capacity. Roughly a fifth of the companies are based in countries associated to Horizon Europe, meaning non-EU states that have association agreements allowing them to participate in programme actions.

Horizon Europe widening countries:Member states identified by EU policies as needing extra support to strengthen research and innovation systems. Widening actions under Horizon Europe aim to increase these countries' participation in EU programmes.

Associated countries:Countries outside the EU that have concluded agreements to participate in Horizon Europe actions and calls. Associated status allows entities there to apply to many Horizon Europe calls on a similar footing to EU entities.

How the Commission plans to scale the programme

Following the pilot, the Commission said it would continue Women TechEU in 2022 with an expanded budget. The announced envelope for the next call is €10 million, intended to fund roughly 130 companies. That change aims to increase the number of women-led deep-tech start-ups receiving early-stage support.

Context: why the Commission launched Women TechEU

The Commission framed the initiative as a response to two linked problems. First, deep tech represents a significant segment of Europe’s start-up ecosystem but requires long development cycles and capital intense early phases. The Commission points to deep-tech valuations of a combined €700 billion and estimates that deep tech accounts for over a quarter of the start-up ecosystem. Second, women remain underrepresented among deep-tech founders. The pilot was pitched as a way to address that gender gap by supporting women at a high-risk stage where many ventures fail without timely support.

Deep tech explained:Start-ups founded on scientific and engineering breakthroughs. They often require longer R&D, specialist talent and greater capital before reaching market readiness compared with software or consumer apps.

Other EU measures supporting women innovators

Women TechEU complements an existing set of EU instruments. These include the EU Prize for Women Innovators, gender-balanced targets for companies invited to EIC Accelerator interviews, a gender balanced EIC Board, efforts to integrate gender into EIC Challenges and a pilot gender and diversity innovation index. The Commission highlights record interest in these measures, for example a record number of applications to the EU Prize for Women Innovators in 2021.

Assessment and limitations

The pilot addresses a genuine gap. Early non-dilutive funding plus mentoring can be helpful, particularly where founders lack networks to access private capital. Coaching and visibility under EIC business acceleration services may be as important as the cash award for investor introductions and follow-on funding.

That said, the grants are modest relative to typical capital requirements for deep-tech companies. A single €75,000 award will not substantially de-risk capital intensive development paths. The longer term impact depends on whether recipients can convert visibility and mentoring into follow-on private or public investment. The Commission will need to track outcomes such as follow-on funding raised, jobs created and technology transfer to judge effectiveness.

There are also structural challenges that funding alone cannot fix. Gender bias in investor networks, unequal access to later stage capital and regional imbalances in research and innovation capacity will still affect outcomes. Widening actions and complementary policies at national level remain important to ensure companies from less developed ecosystems can scale.

Next steps and transparency

Projects in the first cohort were expected to start in spring 2022. Selected leaders will participate in the EIC Women Leadership Programme for coaching and mentoring. The Commission has committed to renew and expand the scheme in 2022 with a larger budgeted call. The scheme’s implementation and follow-up will be managed through EISMEA and the EIC business acceleration services.

EIC Women Leadership Programme:A skills enhancement and networking programme operated by the European Innovation Council and the EIT. It offers training, mentoring and business coaching for women researchers and entrepreneurs participating in EIC actions.

Sources and contact

Primary information on the selection and the pilot comes from the European Commission press release published on 1 March 2022 and related pages from the European Innovation Council and EISMEA. For enquiries about Women TechEU and EIC Women Leadership Programme contact EISMEA at EISMEA-WOMENTECHEU@ec.europa.eu. The Commission press contacts listed with the announcement included Johannes Bahrke and Marietta Grammenou.

Disclosure: the information above is a restructured representation of the Commission’s announcement with additional context on deep tech and EU research policy. The programme’s long term impact will require independent monitoring of outcomes beyond award counts.