EIC Rising Innovators
Awards women founders or co-founders under 35 up to €50,000, with €30,000 and €20,000 for the second and third highest-ranked entries, for pioneering deep-tech or STEM breakthroughs across the EU and Horizon Europe associated countries.
Applicants apply as individuals, not as their company, through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, choosing only one of three sister categories on this same page (Rising Innovators, the uncapped-age Women Innovators prize, or the EIT Women Leadership Award); an independent expert jury then ranks entries. Jury hearings run February-March 2027, finalists are announced in March 2027, and the award cer…
The Rising Innovators category looks for women under 35 who founded or co-founded a company or organisation behind a breakthrough, disruptive innovation, with particular focus on deep-tech and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. Judges weigh the innovation's real benefit to people or the planet, and the applicant's own role as an inspiring, pioneering leader.
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Guides for this application
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