Women Leadership Category

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

Applications must be submitted before the call deadline (see timetable section 4).

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the Topic page in the Calls for proposals section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.

Applications (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System ( NOT the documents available on the Topic page — they are only for information).

Applications must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:

• Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the applicant (natural person) (to be filled in directly online)
• Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the application (template to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded)
• mandatory annexes and supporting documents (templates to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded):
• Applicants must support their application with an inspiring video message lasting no more than 90 seconds, describing themselves and their achievements. The video cannot exceed 100MB and should be uploaded to the Submission portal as a .zip file in annex.
• Proof of link to the EIT Community

Your application must be readable, accessible, printable (please check carefully the layout of the documents uploaded).

Applications are limited to maximum 15 pages (Part B). Evaluators will not consider any additional pages.

You may be asked at a later stage for further documents (for legal entity validation, bank account validation, ethics review, declaration of honour, etc).

2. Eligible Countries

3. Other Eligible Conditions

In order to be eligible, the applicants must:

• be a woman[1] (natural person); [2]
• be legally residing[3] in an EU Member State, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe;
• be the founder or co-founder[4] of the company or organisation;[5]
• the company or organisation must be established in an EU Member State including overseas countries and territories, (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe, and registered or incorporated[6] at least two years before the call year;[7]
• applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.

Applicants to the Rising Innovators category must be aged under 35 at the start of the call year.[8]

Applicants to the EIT category must have a direct link to the EIT Community or to one of the existing Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).[9]

Applicants are expected to provide proof of eligibility upon request. [10]

Applicants eligible for several prize categories can only apply to one.

Joint applications by a group of applicants are not accepted and will be rejected as ineligible. Applicants from the same organisation must apply separately.

Applicants must register in the Participant Register — before the call deadline — and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, you will be requested to upload documents showing legal status (please make sure to select ‘natural person’) and origin.

Specific cases and definitions

Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons[11].

Countries currently negotiating association agreements — Applicants from countries with ongoing negotiations (see above) may participate in the call and can receive a prize if the negotiations are concluded before the award.

EU restrictive measures — Special rules apply for entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)[12]. Such entities are not eligible to participate and can NOT receive a prize.

EU conditionality measures — Special rules apply for entities subject to measures adopted on the basis of EU Regulation 2020/2092[13]. Such entities may apply but, unless the measures are lifted by the time of the decision to award, are not eligible to participate and they can NOT receive a prize and will be rejected as ineligible. Currently such measures are in place for Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain (see Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022).

[1]  This prize celebrates women in all their diversity. The word 'woman' equates to a cis woman, or a transgender woman who is legally defined as a woman.

[2]   The applicant must apply as a natural person and not as a legal entity.

[3]   A natural person is legally residing in a given country, if she is recognised as a resident under national law in that country, and proof of such recognition can be provided upon request.

[4]   A co-founder is somebody who has started the company (i.e. "founded" the company) with at least one other person, and proof of this can be provided upon request.

[5]   Self-employment is not acceptable.

[6]   The company or organisation is formed and registered with the appropriate statutory authority of the country as a 'company or corporation', and proof can be provided upon request.

[7]   The company must be registered or incorporated before 1 January 2023.

[8]   Those applying for the Rising Innovator category must be born on or after 1 January 1990.

[9]   'EIT Community’ means the EIT and the active community of individuals and legal entities which benefited or benefit from the EIT support or financial contribution (in line with Article 2(8) of the EIT Regulation), e.g. support through an innovation or business acceleration procedure of any of the EIT KICs, or successful completion of an EIT Labelled Educational Programme.

[10]  For the direct link to the EIT Community, applicants are expected to provide a supporting document, such as a certificate from an EIT KIC indicating the EIT support, a signed agreement for the financial support received from an EIT KIC, or a diploma / certificate regarding the successfully completed EIT Labelled Educational Programme.

[11]  See Article 200(2)(c) EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

[12] Please note that the EU Official Journal contains the official list and, in case of conflict, its content prevails over that of the EU Sanctions Map.

[13]  Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget (OJ L 325, 20.12.2022, p. 94).

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

Applicants which are subject to an EU exclusion decision or in one of the following exclusion situations that bar them from receiving EU funding can NOT participate[1]:

• bankruptcy, winding up, affairs administered by the courts, arrangement with creditors, suspended business activities or other similar procedures (including procedures for persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts)
• in breach of social security or tax obligations (including if done by persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts)
• guilty of grave professional misconduct[2] (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the prize)
• committed fraud, corruption, links to a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes (including terrorism financing), child labour or human trafficking (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the prize)
• shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations under an EU procurement contract, grant agreement, prize, expert contract, or similar (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision‑making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the prize)
• guilty of irregularities within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Regulation No 2988/95 (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision‑making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the prize)
• created under a different jurisdiction with the intent to circumvent fiscal, social or other legal obligations in the country of origin or created another entity with this purpose (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision‑making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the prize)
• intentionally and without proper justification resisted[3] an investigation, check or audit carried out by an EU authorising officer (or their representative or auditor), OLAF, the EPPO, or the European Court of Auditors.

Applicants will also be refused if it turns out that[4]:

• during the award procedure they misrepresented information required as a condition for participating or failed to supply that information
• they were previously involved in the preparation of the call and this entails a distortion of competition that cannot be remedied otherwise (conflict of interest).

[1]   See Articles 138 and 143 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

[2]    ‘Professional misconduct’ includes, in particular, the following: violation of ethical standards of the profession; wrongful conduct with impact on professional credibility; breach of generally accepted professional ethical standards; false declarations/misrepresentation of information; participation in a cartel or other agreement distorting competition; violation of IPR; attempting to influence decision-making processes by taking advantage, through misrepresentation, of a conflict of interests, or to obtain confidential information from public authorities to gain an advantage; incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence or similar activities contrary to the EU values where negatively affecting or risking to affect the performance of a legal commitment.

[3]        ‘Resisting an investigation, check or audit’ means carrying out actions with the goal or effect of preventing, hindering or delaying the conduct of any of the activities needed to perform the investigation, check or audit, such as refusing to grant the necessary access to its premises or any other areas used for business purposes, concealing or refusing to disclose information or providing false information.

[4]    See Article 143(1) EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

If admissible and eligible, the applications will be evaluated and ranked against the following award criteria:

• award criterion 1: Breakthrough innovation – the company or organisation founded or cofounded by the applicant is developing a breakthrough innovation focusing, among others, on deep-tech and Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields. In presenting their innovation, the applicant should demonstrate what makes this innovation breakthrough in relation to other existing solutions.
• award criterion 2: Impact – this innovation addresses a real need or challenge, with significant benefits for people and/or the planet. The applicant will demonstrate how the company’s or organisation’s current performance and growth is driving a positive socio-economic and/or environmental impact, among others, in terms of wellbeing, education, profit, or job creation.
• award criterion 3: Inspiration – the applicant is an inspiring leader, who has played a pivotal role in the success of the company or organisation and is a role model empowering other women and girls in realising their full potential. The applicant should, for example, highlight her efforts to promote gender balance within the company, organisation or beyond, and/or to advocate for innovative initiatives that have positively contributed to gender equality in, e.g., access to finance, networks, product design, education and contributes to a gender-responsive innovation.

Award criteria

Minimum pass score

Maximum score

Breakthrough innovation

6

10

Impact

6

10

Inspiration

6

10

Overall (pass) scores

18

30

Maximum points: 30 points.

Individual thresholds: 6/10 points.

Overall threshold: 18 points.

Applications must pass both the individual thresholds AND the overall threshold. The prize will be awarded to the application ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with the best scores in each category. Other applications will be rejected.

The jury’s assessment will be based on Parts A and B of the application form, as well as the video submitted by the applicant.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

Applications in each category will be subject to a formal evaluation by a jury.

If there are more than 500 applications in one category, there will be a pre-selection in that category to select the best 500 applications to pass to jury review. Otherwise, all eligible applications will pass directly to jury review.

The pre-selection panel and jury usually have a different composition, but jury members may participate in the pre-selection panel.

The pre-selection panel and/or the jury will evaluate each eligible application against the award criteria.

For applications with the same score, the pre-selection panel and/ or the jury will determine a priority order according to the following approach: The score for the criterion No 2 will be given a weight of 2 and the score for criterion No 3 will be given a weight of 1.5.

If two or more applications still tie for any rank or category at the pre-selection phase, those applications will be admitted to the next phase of the evaluation.

If two or more applications still tie for any rank or category at the jury review, those applications will be admitted to the hearings.

Up to six best ranked applications in each category will be invited for a hearing with the jury in Brussels. This hearing may take place remotely.

If two or more applications still tie for any rank or category, the prize will be equally divided and awarded to all applications with the same score.If two or more applications tie for the first or subsequent ranks, the prize will be equally divided and awarded to all applications with the same score.

On the basis of the evaluation by the jury (and after the mandatory checks: ethics review, security scrutiny, legal entity validation, non-exclusion, double funding and plagiarism, etc), the awarding authority will decide on the award of the prize.

All applications will be informed about the evaluation result (evaluation result letter). Successful applications will be awarded the prize; the not successful ones will be put on the reserve list or rejected.

If you believe that the evaluation procedure was flawed, you can submit a complaint (following the deadlines and procedures set out in the evaluation result letter). Please note that notifications which have not been opened within 10 days after sending will be considered to have been accessed and that deadlines will be counted from opening/access (see also Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions). Please also be aware that for complaints submitted electronically, there may be character limitations.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

Deadline for submission: 25 September 2025 – 17:00 CET (Brussels)

Evaluation: October 2025 - February 2026

Information on the results and awards: February - May 2026

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

Specific conditions

Payment arrangements

The prize money will be paid to the prize winners after the award ceremony, provided all the requested documents have been submitted.

Communication — Dissemination — Visibility of funding

Prize winners must promote the prize and its results, by providing targeted information to multiple audiences (including the media and the public) in a strategic and effective manner.

Communication activities related to the prize (including media interviews, press statements, presentations, etc., in electronic form, via traditional or social media, etc.), must acknowledge EU support and display the European flag (emblem) and funding statement (translated into local languages, where appropriate).

The emblem must remain distinct and separate and cannot be modified by adding other visual marks, brands or text.

Apart from the emblem, no other visual identity or logo may be used to highlight the EU support.

When displayed in association with other logos (e.g. of winners or sponsors), the emblem must be displayed at least as prominently and visibly as the other logos.

For the purposes of these obligations, the winners may use the emblem without first obtaining approval from the awarding authority. This does not, however, give them the right to exclusive use. Moreover, they may not appropriate the emblem or any similar trademark or logo, either by registration or by any other means.

Any communication or dissemination activity related to the prize must use factually accurate information.

Moreover, it must indicate the following disclaimer (translated into local languages where appropriate):

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the awarding authority can be held responsible for them.”

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Insititute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Neither the European Union nor the awarding authority can be held responsible for them.”

IPR — Rights of use

The awarding authority does not obtain ownership of the results produced in the context of the prize.

The awarding authority has the right to use non-sensitive information relating to the prize and materials and documents received from the winners (such as pictures or audio-visual material, in paper or electronic form) for information, communication, dissemination and publicity purposes.

Photos and videos taken by the awarding authority either in preparation of the award ceremony or during the award ceremony are the sole property of the awarding authority.

Checks, audits and investigations

The awarding authority, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) may carry out checks, audits and investigations in relation to the prize.[1]

Withdrawal of the prize — Recovery of undue amounts

The awarding authority may withdraw the prize after its award and recover all payments made, if it finds out that:

• false information, fraud or corruption was used to obtain it
• the prize winners were not eligible or should have been excluded or
• the prize winners are in serious breach of their obligations under these Rules of Contest.

[1]  For the powers of OLAF, EPPO and ECA, see Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18/09/2013, p. 1), Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/1996 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292, 15/11/1996, p. 2), Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (‘the EPPO’) and Article 287 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and Article 263 of EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Rules of the Contest & Call guidelines

Please read the RULES OF THE CONTEST

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 10. European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide 

HE Framework Programme 2021/695 

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment 

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual 

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Additional documents: