Women TechEU
Status not published
Two-stage. Eligibility Strand: opened 1 June 2026 with weekly cut-offs every Tuesday at 17:00 CEST, final cut-off 14 June 2027. Full Proposal Strand (only for applicants already assessed eligible): opened 15 July 2026 with deadlines 16 September 2026, 14 January 2027, 1 April 2027 and 8 July 2027, all at 17:00 CEST.
EUR 75 000 equity-free (non-dilutive) grant per selected startup, plus a personalised business development programme with mentoring, training, investor matchmaking and networking. Total scheme budget EUR 12 million for approximately 160 startups. 40% of the budget is exclusively reserved for companies based in Widening areas.
European Innovation Council (EIC) / European Commission, implemented by a consortium under Horizon Europe
public · supranational
Deadline: cutoff — Two-stage. Eligibility Strand: opened 1 June 2026 with weekly cut-offs every Tuesday at 17:00 CEST, final cut-off 14 June 2027. Full Proposal Strand (only for applicants already assessed eligible): opened 15 July 2026 with deadlines 16 September 2026, 14 January 2027, 1 April 2027 and 8 July 2027, all at 17:00 CEST.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Moderate — a form and supporting documents.
Who can apply
- Sectors: deeptech
- Stage: pre_seed, seed
- R&D activity required
- Female founders
- Locally registered entity required
For 'women-led early-stage deep tech startups from Europe', across 43 eligible countries. Specific company age and size thresholds are set in the Guidelines for Applicants document, which is the binding source; they are recorded as null here rather than guessed. Because this is EU cascade funding under Horizon Europe, it is not national de minimis aid, but recipients should still check whether their national authority treats the sub-grant as such.
How to apply
- Submit to the Eligibility Strand via the cascade funding platform; assessed at the weekly Tuesday cut-off. — link
- If assessed eligible, you receive a confirmation letter with access details for the Full Proposal Strand. — link
- Submit the full proposal by one of the four published deadlines; selected companies receive EUR 75 000 plus the business development programme. — link
What you will need
- Eligibility Strand application form
- Full proposal (business/technology plan)
- Proof of company registration and of the woman founder's role
Source. https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/women-techeu-continues-another-eu12-million-equity-free-grants-women-founders-deep-tech-2026-06-12_en — checked 2026-08-14
"Another 160 selected startups will receive €75,000 ... €12 million in equity-free grants ... 40% of the budget exclusively reserved to companies based in Widening areas"