Call is: OPEN
Deadline: 17.03.2025.
Budget: 75.000 evra
Sector: business and innovation
Call is for: women entrepreneurs in the deep tech sector

Women TechEU is a two-year EU-funded project aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs in the deep tech sector. The programme seeks to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem by organising four calls over two years. Selected companies receive funding and personalised business support. The project is led by a consortium of partners from eight European countries, while EISMEA remains the responsible institution for grant allocation.

The project consortium will organise four application calls over two years. After a rigorous evaluation process, a total of 160 beneficiaries will be selected. Each will receive a €75,000 grant (non-dilutive funding) and a tailored business development programme, including mentorship, coaching, and specialised training, among other opportunities.

Who Can Apply?

Women TechEU is designed for early-stage deep tech startups founded or co-founded by women in leading executive roles (CEO, CTO, or equivalent).

• Women must own at least 25% of the company at the time of application.
• The company must be registered and established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe for at least six months before the application deadline and no more than eight years.
• The company must qualify as an SME (according to European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC).
• The startup must not have a highly developed Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and must not have raised more than €1 million in investment capital.
• The application must not have been previously funded through similar EU programmes such as the Women TechEU initiative, EmpoWomen, or other related programmes.

How Can the Grant Be Used?

The €75,000 grant can be allocated towards activities that accelerate the company’s growth and development. Applicants have the flexibility to decide how to distribute the funds according to their specific needs and objectives.

Examples of eligible activities:

• Business model enhancement
• Updating and consolidating business plans and growth strategies
• Business model validation
• Developing or updating a financial plan
• Certifications and intellectual property (IP) strategy
• Market analysis and commercialisation strategy
• Customer validation and technical/clinical assessment
• Partner and investor outreach

Independent experts will assess whether the proposed activities align with the best strategy to support the growth and development of your company.

Application Deadline:

📅 17 March 2025, 17:00 CET (Brussels time).

More Information & Application Links

• Detailed application guidelines and materials from info sessions can be found [HERE].
• A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is available [HERE].
• Full details of the call are outlined in the following documents:
  • WTEU-Supporting-Documents
  • WomenTech_Guidelines-OC3_final
  • WomenTechEU-FAQ_OC3_final-1
• Information on past and upcoming calls – both for startups and evaluators – as well as details on different programme cycles, can be found [HERE].
• Apply now via the official application portal [HERE].