European Innovation Council expanding support of Women TechEU programme

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has announced plans to expand support for its Women TechEU programme, which aims to boost women-led start-ups. As part of the 2027 EIC Work Programme, confirmed by the European Commission, the council will unlock a funding of €1.8bn to aid Europe's deep-tech entrepreneurs and researchers. The funding is intended to support research breakthroughs as they transition into market-ready innovations and strengthen Europe's capacity to develop and scale strategic technology.

Under the redesigned Women TechEU programme, grants for women-led start-ups will be doubled to €150,000 per start-up. Additionally, a new European Prize for Women Innovators in Quantum will be introduced, providing recognition similar to the existing European Prize for Women Innovators. Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation, highlighted the significance of the 2027 funding opportunities, stating that the EIC is supporting Europe's most ambitious innovators throughout their journey, from breakthrough research to market creation and scale-up.

This aligns with the EIC's mission to mobilise more capital, stimulate customer deals, reduce complexity, and make bold investments in technologies that will shape the future.

The 2027 programme also boosts defence funding, with €200m allocated for defence investments and €25m for the Advanced Innovation Challenges pilot. With a budget of over €10bn for the 2021 to 2027 period under Horizon Europe, the EIC has already supported more than 800 companies and nearly 700 research projects, providing funding across the entire innovation life cycle.