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Nineteen semi-finalists named for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators

Brussels, February 4th 2025
Summary
  • ›The European Innovation Council and the EIT have announced 19 semi-finalists for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators.
  • ›Semi-finalists are grouped across three categories: Rising Innovators, Women Innovators, and EIT Women Leadership.
  • ›Winners will be revealed at the EIC Summit on 3 April 2025 and finalists will be announced before then.
  • ›The prize is funded under Horizon Europe and is intended to raise visibility for women entrepreneurs working on deep tech, medtech, cleantech and digital solutions.
  • ›Many nominees lead ventures still in development or early commercialisation, so visibility could matter more than immediate financial support.

Nineteen semi-finalists named for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators

On 4 February 2025 the European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology unveiled the 19 semi-finalists for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators. The semi-finalists were selected by an independent jury of innovation experts. Winners will be announced at the European Innovation Council Summit on 3 April 2025.

What the prize is and how it fits in the EU innovation ecosystem

The European Prize for Women Innovators is funded under the Horizon Europe framework. It is jointly presented by the EIT and the EIC. The prize is part of a broader effort inside EU innovation policy to raise the visibility of women founders, create role models and nudge the gender balance in high growth deep tech and science led ventures.

Prize categories:The competition has three tracks. The Women Innovators Prize is open to women founders of successful companies based in EU Member States and Associated Countries. The Rising Innovators Prize recognises exceptional women innovators under the age of 35. The EIT Women Leadership Prize honours outstanding women within the EIT community.
Funding and policy context:The prize is financed under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. That gives winners visibility and credibility inside a funding ecosystem that also includes the EIC Accelerator, EIC Fund and a network of national and regional innovation actors. Visibility from an EIC/EIT prize can help companies raise follow on capital but does not equate to direct financing.

The Commission framed the announcement with a political message. Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva highlighted historical progress on women’s rights and urged honourees to 'be an example', calling on them to 'dream with ambition and lead with conviction'. Such statements are typical for prize announcements but they do not change structural barriers to scaling deep tech ventures such as access to late stage capital, clinical or regulatory validation cycles and market adoption timelines.

The semi-finalists at a glance

NameCompanyCountryCategoryShort description of technology or focus
Aline MuylaertGo VocalBelgiumRising InnovatorsCivic tech platform for digital citizen engagement to modernise participatory democracy
Ann-Mia AmbjergARIS RoboticsDenmarkRising InnovatorsAI-driven visual recognition and robotics for automated waste sorting
Camille BougetScienta LabFranceRising InnovatorsAI platform targeting therapeutic discovery for immuno-inflammatory diseases
Claudine Adeyemi-AdamsEarlybirdUnited KingdomRising InnovatorsVoice-powered AI platform for employment support and case insights
Héloïse MailhacSTH BIOTECHFranceRising InnovatorsSATIVITRO® bioproduction platform producing plant bioactives and rare cannabinoids
Laura KoivusaloStemSightFinlandRising InnovatorsRegenerative medicine developer pursuing off-the-shelf cell therapies to treat blindness
Agnès ArbatOxolifeSpainWomen InnovatorsDeveloping OXO-001, an oral drug aimed at improving embryo implantation and fertility outcomes
Avencia Sánchez-MejíasIntegra TherapeuticsSpainWomen InnovatorsDeveloping FiCAT, a gene writing platform combining transposase engineering with CRISPR precision
Fanny BardéSOLiTHORFranceWomen InnovatorsNext generation solid-state batteries using a non-flammable, environmentally friendlier solid electrolyte
Fanny GiannouAlithea BiotechnologyGermanyWomen InnovatorsPrecision immunotherapy using immunopeptidomics, sensitive mass spectrometry and AI for novel cancer targets
Henriette MaassNanoStructGermanyWomen InnovatorsRapid bacteria detection system with potential to identify antimicrobial resistance
Irina KavounovskiVigor Medical TechnologiesIsraelWomen InnovatorsLife-saving devices and AI-driven solutions for chest trauma and thoracic/abdominal drainage
Rhona TogherLiosIrelandWomen InnovatorsSoundBounce acoustic material delivering high noise reduction in lighter, thinner panels
Débora Andreia Campelo CamposAgroGrIN TechPortugalEIT Women LeadershipConverts industrial fruit waste into functional food ingredients through an eco-friendly process
Elizabeth McGloughlinTympany MedicalIrelandEIT Women LeadershipVariable angle endoscopy technology intended to improve surgical outcomes and reduce waste
Megi MejdrechovaRobo TwinCzechiaEIT Women LeadershipRobot teaching tools that let workers teach robots by demonstration
Olesja BondarenkoNanordica MedicalEstoniaEIT Women LeadershipNanotechnology-based wound care products designed to prevent infections and accelerate healing
Thais Maria Glod NuñezInnoboundSpainEIT Women LeadershipInnovation agency supporting ecological and social initiatives to make cities greener
Zara RansleyMyPocketSkillUnited KingdomEIT Women LeadershipPlatform connecting youth aged 13 to 24 with paid opportunities to learn about and earn money

Selected company profiles and technical notes

Oxolife and OXO-001:Oxolife, co-founded by Agnès Arbat, is developing OXO-001, described as a first-in-class oral drug that targets endometrial function to enhance embryo implantation. The company positions this as addressing an unmet clinical need because implantation failure contributes substantially to IVF losses. Early stage clinical validation is critical for claims about improving live birth rates. Oxolife reports Phase I safety data in public communications and is pursuing further clinical work. Regulatory pathways for reproductive medicines require robust randomized data and long term safety monitoring before routine adoption.
Integra Therapeutics and gene writing FiCAT:Integra Therapeutics, led by Avencia Sánchez-Mejías, promotes FiCAT, a gene writing platform that combines CRISPR-Cas precision with engineered piggyBac transposase characteristics. The claim is improved payload capacity and integration efficiency. Gene writing tools promise therapeutic advantages but also raise safety and off-target risk questions. Preclinical proof, reproducibility and independent replication are the types of evidence investors and regulators will demand before clinical deployment.
Alithea Biotechnology and immunopeptidomics:Alithea focuses on immunopeptidomics, highly sensitive mass spectrometry and AI to identify HLA-presented peptides for cancer immunotherapy. Its HLA-Compass claims a database of over 1.4 million unique peptides and tools for off-target prediction. These data assets can be commercially useful to developers of TCR and antibody therapies. However integrating such datasets into clinical-grade target selection demands independent validation, standardisation and regulatory-grade evidence of safety and specificity.
STH BIOTECH and SATIVITRO®:STH BIOTECH uses SATIVITRO®, an in vitro hairy root bioproduction platform, to produce plant-derived active compounds such as rare cannabinoids. The technology aims to address supply, traceability and environmental issues faced by agricultural sourcing. Bioproduction can scale and standardise compounds but companies must prove cost competitiveness and regulatory compliance for cosmetic or pharmaceutical use.
VIGOR Medical and chest trauma devices:VIGOR Medical, founded by Irina Kavounovski, develops devices and AI-driven tools to manage chest trauma and thoracic drainage. The company highlights box-level clinical needs such as rapid stabilization in trauma. Medical device developers face regulatory approval, clinical trials and procurement cycles before broad adoption by emergency services and hospitals.
Lios and SoundBounce:Lios, co-founded by Rhona Togher, markets SoundBounce, an advanced acoustic material the company says offers up to four times better noise reduction while being 40 percent lighter and thinner than alternatives. Material claims like these need independent acoustic testing and scaled manufacturing proof points to convince construction and automotive customers.
Tympany Medical and variable angle endoscopy:Tympany Medical, led by Elizabeth McGloughlin, develops variable angle endoscopy technology intended to improve surgical ergonomics, reduce procedure time and reduce single use waste. The company highlights benefits for patient outcomes and sustainability. Clinical adoption will require comparative trials, hospital procurement decisions and demonstration of life cycle benefits.
Nanordica Medical and Premotiv wound dressing:Nanordica Medical is developing Premotiv, a nanotechnology-based antibacterial wound dressing. The company is running a multi-centre clinical trial for diabetic foot ulcers comparing Premotiv to an established silver dressing. Wound care products need robust clinical evidence for endpoints such as healing rates, infection reduction, and cost effectiveness to move from trials to standard practice.
AgroGrIN Tech and circular food ingredients:AgroGrIN Tech converts industrial fruit waste into functional food ingredients through patented separation processes. Circular valorisation of agro-waste is an active area of EU innovation and can reduce waste streams and create new revenue. Commercial success depends on integration into food supply chains, regulatory approvals for novel food ingredients and unit economics.
NanoStruct and rapid bacterial diagnostics:NanoStruct, co-founded by Henriette Maass, promotes a rapid bacteria detection system that claims results within minutes with potential antimicrobial resistance identification. Rapid diagnostics are clinically valuable for antimicrobial stewardship but need rigorous validation against gold standard microbiology and clear demonstration of how they change clinical decisions and patient outcomes.

Implications and what to watch next

Prizes like the European Prize for Women Innovators have three immediate effects. They raise public and investor visibility for founders and their ventures. They create role models and signal political priority for gender balanced innovation. They provide winners with reputational capital that can aid fundraising or partnerships. That benefit is real but limited. Visibility does not replace the capital, regulatory approval, clinical studies or industrial partnerships these companies need to scale.

A realistic view of impact requires follow up. For deep tech and health innovations the path from prototype to market can take years and large sums. For software and digital civic tools market adoption and integration are significant hurdles. For climate and materials innovations manufacturing scale, supply chains and certification matter. The prize is one useful lever inside a broader EU innovation ecosystem that includes EIC grants and investments, national programmes, venture capital and corporate procurement.

Watchlist: finalists announcement and EIC Summit. The EIC will announce the finalists later this year and declare winners at the EIC Summit on 3 April 2025. For individual companies, an important short term signal will be whether prize recognition translates into partnership announcements, fresh investment rounds, or new clinical or pilot contracts.

A note on history

The Women Innovators Prize was set up in 2011 to highlight outstanding women entrepreneurs in Europe. Over its lifetime the prize has showcased hundreds of women and aimed to foster gender equality in innovation leadership. That continuity gives the prize credibility but systemic obstacles to parity in deep tech leadership remain.

Practical details and next steps

The semi-finalists were selected by an independent jury. Finalists will be publicised later in the selection process. Winners will be revealed during an official awards ceremony at the EIC Summit on 3 April 2025. Beyond recognition, applicants are often offered follow on services from the EIC and EIT networks including coaching, investor matchmaking and ecosystem partner access.

For readers seeking more information on each company we have included short profile notes above that draw on public company material and prize communications. Those materials describe promising technologies but independent scrutiny and hard data are required to evaluate commercial and societal impact over time.

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