Women Leadership Category

The European Prize for Women Innovators is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically the HORIZON-EIT-2025-PRIZE-WIP-LEADERSHIP topic. It is aimed at recognizing and promoting the contributions of women in the EU innovation landscape, particularly within the EIT Community. The prize seeks to enhance public awareness of women’s role in innovation and encourage more women to pursue careers in this field.

The prize has a total budget of €100,000, distributed among three winners: the main winner receives €50,000, while the two runners-up receive €30,000 and €20,000, respectively. The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date for submissions on June 17, 2025, and a deadline for applications set for September 25, 2025.

Eligible applicants are women innovators affiliated with the EIT Community, which may include individuals, startups, SMEs, and research organizations from EU member states and associated countries. There is no requirement for co-funding, and the nature of support is purely monetary in the form of prizes. The prize is intended not only to acknowledge achievements but also to inspire and create role models for future women innovators.

The success rate is competitive due to the limited number of awards granted annually. The prize aims to spotlight established innovations that have already made a significant impact, as opposed to funding new project proposals.

This initiative is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and aligns with a broader goal of promoting gender equality and fostering innovation driven by women across various sectors, including technology, science, and engineering. The program includes a comprehensive set of guidelines and resources to assist applicants in the submission process, ensuring that participants are well-informed about the requirements and evaluation criteria.

Overall, the European Prize for Women Innovators represents a significant opportunity to recognize and bolster the visibility of women in innovation within the EU context, encouraging future contributions and participation.

The European Prize for Women Innovators under the Horizon Europe Programme (HORIZON-EIT-2025-PRIZE-WIP-LEADERSHIP) is a HORIZON Recognition Prize that aims to boost public awareness of the potential, importance, and contribution of women to the EU innovation ecosystem and create strong role models, inspiring more women to become innovators themselves. The total budget for the prize is 100,000 EUR, and it is a single-stage application process. The planned opening date for submissions is 17 June 2025, and the deadline for submissions is 25 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The indicative number of grants to be awarded is 3.

The general conditions for admissibility include proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for funding participants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are also described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. The evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. The submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, HE RIA IA Stage 1, HE CSA, HE CSA Stage 1, HE RI, HE PCP, HE PPI, HE COFUND, HE FPA, HE MSCA DN, HE MSCA PF, HE MSCA SE, HE MSCA COFUND, HE ERC STG, HE ERC COG, HE ERC ADG, HE ERC POC, HE ERC SYG, HE EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES, HE EIC PATHFINDER OPEN, and HE EIC TRANSITION. Evaluation form templates, which will be adapted as necessary, include standard evaluation forms for HE RIA, IA, HE CSA, HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1, HE PCP PPI, HE COFUND, HE FPA, HE MSCA, HE EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES, HE EIC PATHFINDER OPEN, HE EIC TRANSITION, HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 short proposal, and HE EIC Accelerator stage 2 full proposal.

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA) such as HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023-2025 for General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research Infrastructures, Health, Culture, creativity and inclusive society, Civil Security for Society, Digital, Industry and Space, Climate, Energy and Mobility, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area, Missions, and General Annexes. Further documents include the HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ provides answers to frequently asked questions on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe, including in non-EU and non-associated countries. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding. The IT Helpdesk addresses questions about forgotten passwords, access rights, technical aspects of proposal submission, etc. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardisation in project proposals. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders. Partner Search helps find partner organisations for proposals.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call offers a recognition prize to promote the achievements of women in the EU innovation ecosystem. It aims to raise awareness and inspire more women to become innovators. The prize is a single-stage application with a budget of 100,000 EUR, with three prizes to be awarded. The call provides extensive guidance and support resources to assist applicants throughout the process, from proposal preparation to grant management. The call is open to a wide range of participants, with specific provisions for non-EU countries, and emphasizes the importance of adhering to ethical and legal standards in research and innovation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the focus on women innovators and the Horizon Europe framework, eligible applicants are likely to include individuals, startups, SMEs, research institutes, universities, and other organizations involved in innovation within the EU innovation ecosystem. The prize targets women, so the applicant must be a woman.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a recognition prize, specifically a HORIZON Recognition Prize (HORIZON-RPr).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is designed for a single applicant, as it is a prize awarded to individual women innovators.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries within the Horizon Europe program. The text mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants, referencing the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for more details. Therefore, the geographic eligibility extends beyond the EU to include non-EU and associated countries with specific funding provisions.

Target Sector: The program targets the EU innovation ecosystem, with a specific focus on women innovators. This encompasses various sectors, including but not limited to technology, science, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as any field where innovation is driven by women. The main goal is to boost public awareness of the potential, importance, and contribution of women to the EU innovation ecosystem.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions EU member states and non-EU/non-Associated Countries participating in Horizon Europe.

Project Stage: The opportunity does not focus on a specific project stage but rather on recognizing and rewarding women who have made significant contributions to the innovation ecosystem. The focus is on recognizing existing achievements and potential, rather than funding new projects.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-EIT-2025-PRIZE-WIP-LEADERSHIP is EUR 100,000. The indicative number of grants is 3, implying that the prize money will be divided among three winners.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a prize.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text. However, the text indicates that there will be 3 prizes awarded, so the success rate will depend on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no mention of a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a European Prize for Women Innovators under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the HORIZON-EIT-2025-PRIZE-WIP-LEADERSHIP topic. It aims to boost public awareness of the potential, importance, and contribution of women to the EU innovation ecosystem and create strong role models to inspire more women to become innovators. The prize is a HORIZON Recognition Prize (HORIZON-RPr) with a total budget of EUR 100,000 to be divided among three winners. The call is a single-stage application process, with the submission system planned to open on June 17, 2025, and a deadline of September 25, 2025. Eligible applicants are likely to include women innovators from EU member states and associated countries, as well as potentially from non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions under Horizon Europe. The program is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System.