Julia Müller on the EIC Women Leadership Programme: leadership development, AEGEUS and scaling women-led deep tech
- ›Julia Müller, COO of Mediri and partner in the EIC Pathfinder project AEGEUS, describes the EIC Women Leadership Programme as transformative for her leadership and self confidence.
- ›The programme combines targeted leadership training, personal mentoring, business coaching and peer networking for women in the EIC and EIT communities.
- ›The EIC launched applications for the 8th cohort, a March to June 2025 track for women co-founders and C-suite leaders of startups at least two years old.
- ›Practical details vary across published sources, with different application deadlines reported, so prospective applicants should verify the deadline on the official EIC pages.
From clinical imaging to leadership: why the EIC Women Leadership Programme matters
In early 2025 the European Innovation Council continued to push a visible agenda for women in deep tech. The EIC Women Leadership Programme delivers a mix of leadership training, mentoring and business coaching aimed at EIC and EIT backed women researchers and entrepreneurs. Julia Müller, chief operating officer at Mediri and partner in the EIC Pathfinder project AEGEUS, described her experience with the programme and how it changed her approach to leadership, pitching and team development. Her testimony also offers a window into how specialised leadership programmes are being positioned inside broader EU efforts to turn research into scaleable businesses.
Julia Müller, Mediri and the AEGEUS connection
What Julia brought to the programme and what she gained
Before joining the EIC Women Leadership Programme Julia felt the familiar pressure of balancing a demanding technical leadership role with family life. She said she lacked role models and clarity about leadership expectations. Her account emphasises two categories of benefit from the programme. The first is practical leadership skills and behavioural clarity. The second is community effects that reduced isolation and supplied peer role models.
The tangible outcomes Julia reports include a measurable rise in self confidence, a more assertive approach to promoting Mediri's innovations, clearer leadership communication with her team and a personal mission statement. She recommends the programme to other women leaders in tech and entrepreneurship.
The EIC Women Leadership Programme explained
| Milestone | Date and time | Notes |
| Open call launch | 20 January 2025 | Call published on EIC Community |
| Info session | 28 January 2025, 10:00-11:00 CET | Online, registration requested |
| Application deadline | Reported as 12 February 2025 or 9 February 2025 | Two different source pages list different final dates. Applicants should verify the deadline on the official EIC Community page before applying |
| Confirmation of participation | 28 February 2025 | Applicants notified |
| Introductory workshop | 20 March 2025, 09:30-11:00 CET | Online |
| In-person kick-off bootcamp | 1-2 April 2025, Brussels | Tied to EIC Summit, travel costs not covered |
| Weekly training sessions | April to May 2025, Tuesdays 09:30-11:30 CET | Online |
| Closing ceremony | 27 May 2025, 09:30-11:00 CET | Online |
| Pitching session | 10 June 2025, 11:00-12:30 CET | Online |
Where the Women Leadership Programme sits inside the EIC ecosystem
The EIC Women Leadership Programme is one element of the EIC Business Acceleration Services, a broader suite of non financial supports that aim to help EIC awardees translate research into market impact. These services run from matchmaking with corporates and procurers to investor readiness support and market immersion programmes.
| EIC BAS activity | Reported metric | Source note |
| One-on-one meetings since 2021 | More than 20,000 | Matches between awardees and corporates, procurers and investors |
| Deals reported | 595 | Since 2021 |
| Fundraising attributed to investor outreach | EUR 350 million | Since 2021 |
| Raised by Scaling Club members since joining | EUR 1.2 billion | Since 2021 |
| Turnover from trade fairs | EUR 42 million | Metric available from 2024 only |
| Innovation procurement raised | EUR 7.7 million | Since March 2024, out of EUR 28.4 million in tenders submitted |
| Pilots following matches | 22 ongoing and 16 completed | Supported with EUR 1.93 million |
| Coaching impact since 2021 | More than 2,400 awardees and applicants coached | Self reported outcomes include 90 percent of WLP alumnae saying their entrepreneurial skills increased |
A cautious appraisal of impact and limits
Leadership programmes that combine training, mentoring and networks can deliver immediate benefits such as improved confidence and clearer communication. They can also provide durable peer networks that reduce professional isolation. However there are common limits worth noting. First, the reported impact figures are often self reported and do not always capture long term company outcomes. Second, these programmes select participants who are already relatively well linked into EU innovation programmes which can bias the observed success metrics. Third, non financial barriers including access to capital, regulatory approval and market adoption remain constraints that training alone cannot remove. Finally, practical constraints such as unpaid travel for in-person events may limit who can participate in practice.