Women TechEU Open Call

Women TechEU 2 EIC offers non-dilutive €75,000 grants and a six-month tailored business development programme to 160 women-led early-stage deep tech SMEs across EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, supported by a total budget of €12,000,000. Applicants must be women-founded or co-founded SMEs with at least one woman in a top management role holding at least 25% of shares, registered between six months and five years, having raised less than €1M equity, and operating at TRL 4–6 (pre-MVP). The call uses a two-stage process via the Sploro platform with an Eligibility Strand (opening 1 June 2026 with weekly cut-offs) followed by a Full Proposal Strand with competitive deadlines on 16 Sep 2026, 14 Jan 2027, 1 Apr 2027 and 8 Jul 2027. Selected beneficiaries receive the grant plus mentoring, investor readiness, export and sales support, environmental assessment, event participation and potential fast-track scaling services, and all submissions must be in English.

What the call funds

Essential funding details

Non-diluting grants for women-led early-stage deep tech startups combined with a 6-month business development programme. Each selected startup receives €75 000 and access to mentoring, investor readiness, export and sales support, events and follow-on scaling services.

Total budget and awards:Total call budget €12 000 000; 160 startups to be funded across four main submission deadlines (approx. 40 startups and €3 000 000 per deadline). At least 40% of each deadline budget reserved for widening-region startups ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: startups established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country that are women-led (founder or co-founder female, co-founder in top management, women hold at least 25% of shares).
2. 2Stage and size: registered between 6 months and 5 years, raised less than €1 000 000 equity, technology readiness level TRL 4 to TRL 6 (not yet at MVP). Must meet the EC SME definition and be autonomous.
3. 3Sector: active in deep tech fields as defined in the call guidelines.
4. 4Exclusions: applicants previously funded by prior Women TechEU editions or EIC Accelerator are ineligible; conflict of interest checks apply.

Application process and deadlines

Two-strand submission via Sploro platform:an ongoing Eligibility strand (weekly cut-offs) that verifies eligibility, then an invitation-only Full Proposal strand with fixed submission deadlines. Applications and all documents must be in English and submitted online.

1. 1Eligibility strand open continuously 01/06/2026 to 13/07/2027 with weekly cut-offs (first cut-off 30/06/2026).
2. 2Full proposal deadlines (main evaluation cut-offs): 16/09/2026, 14/01/2027, 01/04/2027, 08/07/2027.

Evaluation:multi-step filtering, flags check, external evaluation by two experts on Excellence, Impact and Implementation, normalization and ethics checks; applicants receive an Evaluation Summary Report within eight weeks after each deadline.

How to apply:Submit the eligibility form and, if invited, the Full Proposal via the Sploro online submission platform linked from the Women TechEU website. Paper submissions are not accepted. Support materials and guidelines will be available on the Women TechEU pages ¹.

Contact and support:questions via helpdesk@womentecheurope.eu; online info sessions are organised throughout the call period (dates published by the organisers).

Footnotes

1. 1Official call page and applicant guidelines are available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Women TechEU submission platform: Women TechEU call

What this funding is and its purpose

Women TechEU 2 EIC is a cascade funding open call run by an EU-wide consortium to support women-led, early-stage deep tech startups established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The initiative will provide non-diluting grants of €75 000 per selected startup together with a six-month tailored business development programme and follow-up scaling services. The project distributes a total budget of €12 000 000 over four competitive full-proposal submission deadlines; each deadline will allocate €3 000 000 and aim to fund approximately 40 startups per deadline. In each submission deadline, 40 percent of the budget (€1 200 000) is reserved for startups from EU widening countries. The call is part of the Horizon/EIC instruments and lasts two years for the cascade funding project, while awarded beneficiaries receive six months of structured services.

Primary funding instrument:Cascade funding sub-grants managed by a consortium (non-diluting grant of €75 000 per beneficiary) ¹

Deadlines and submission model

The call runs with two sequential strands:an Eligibility Strand with continuous intake and weekly cut-offs, and a Full Proposal Strand with multiple fixed deadlines. Eligibility submissions: continuous from 1 June 2026 to 13 July 2027 at 17:00 CEST with weekly cut-offs (first cut-off 30 June 2026 at 17:00 CEST). Full Proposal Strand: opening 15 July 2026 with four main deadlines per the metadata: 16 September 2026 17:00 CEST, 14 January 2027 17:00 CET, 1 April 2027 17:00 CEST and 8 July 2027 17:00 CEST. Applicants must submit via the Sploro online submission platform; paper submissions are not accepted.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

The application process is two-staged:first an eligibility check via the Sploro platform; eligible applicants receive an Eligibility Letter and are invited to submit a Full Proposal. The eligibility criteria used to validate startups are strict and include company age, funding raised, technological maturity, legal and SME status, women leadership criteria and provenance. Applicants receiving a non-eligible decision may re-apply up to three times if their status changes.

1. 1Geographic establishment: The startup must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country eligible for this call.
2. 2Company age and stage: Registered for at least 6 months and no more than 5 years at the time of the eligibility cut-off used for submission.
3. 3Fundraising: The startup must have raised less than €1 000 000 in equity.
4. 4Technology readiness: The startup must not have reached Minimum Viable Product; acceptable TRL range is TRL 4 to TRL 6 inclusive.
5. 5Sector focus: The startup must be active in a deep tech sector defined in the Guidelines for Applicants (the Guidelines list eligible deep tech domains).
6. 6SME status: The applicant must qualify as an SME and be autonomous as per the European Commission SME recommendation 2003/361/EC.
7. 7Women-led requirement: The startup must be founded or co-founded by women, a woman co-founder must hold a top management position at submission (CEO, CTO, CSO or equivalent), and women must hold at least 25 percent of shares at submission.
8. 8No prior Women TechEU or EIC Accelerator funding: Proposals funded by prior Women TechEU editions or the EIC Accelerator are ineligible.
9. 9No conflict of interest with Women TechEU 2 EIC consortium partners.

Eligible applicant types (detailed)

Primary eligible applicants are early-stage startups that meet the SME definition and the additional Women TechEU-specific criteria. Based on the call text, eligible applicant types include: startups (early-stage deep tech), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research spinouts that are legally established as SMEs, and women-founded/co‑founded firms. Universities, research institutes, large enterprises, nonprofits, individuals and public bodies are not the focus as primary beneficiaries under the sub-grant; however, collaboration or support partners may be involved in services but are not target recipients of the €75 000 grant.

Funding details and financial rules

Total cascade budget:€12 000 000. Per-deadline budget: €3 000 000. Per-startup award: €75 000 non-diluting grant. Per-deadline target winners: ~40 startups (this implies 40 x 75 000 = €3 000 000). Widening area reservation: 40 percent of each deadline budget reserved for widening countries (€1 200 000 per deadline). Grants are awarded under a Sub-grantee agreement signed between the consortium (coordinator Sploro) and the beneficiary after legal validation.

Funding type:Grant (cascade funding sub-grant; non-diluting financial support of €75 000 per startup)

Co-funding and financial obligations

The call documentation does not indicate any mandatory co-funding from beneficiaries for the €75 000 grant. The grant is described as non-diluting finance. Beneficiaries must however comply with legal validation and sign a Sub-grantee agreement which may specify reporting, eligible costs and commitments to participate in the six-month programme and KPI monitoring. No matched funding requirement is referenced in the scraped content.

Application and evaluation process

Submission method:online via the Sploro cascade funding platform. Submission language: English. Applicants must complete the Eligibility Strand online form; eligible applicants will be invited to submit a Full Proposal using provided templates and annexes. Mandatory supporting documents and annexes must be uploaded as part of the Full Proposal submission. Applicants are advised to register their legal entity details (PIC) and validate their legal entity via the EU Funding & Tenders Participant Register to expedite legal validation if selected.

1. 1Step 1 - Eligibility strand: complete eligibility online form via Sploro; weekly cut-offs; receive Eligibility Letter within one week after chosen cut-off.
2. 2Step 2 - Full Proposal submission: invited only if eligible; submit Full Proposal by the next available full-proposal deadline (subject to timing constraints described in Guidelines).
3. 3Step 3 - Administrative check: verification that all documentation is in English and properly completed.
4. 4Step 4 - Flags check: verification that startups are not grant survivors, are growth-oriented, intend to scale and raise investment, and have an IP policy. Up to 350 applications per deadline proceed to external evaluation.
5. 5Step 5 - External evaluation: two independent external evaluators score each proposal on Excellence, Impact and Implementation. Normalisation of scores is applied to mitigate evaluator bias; if evaluators diverge strongly after normalisation, a consensus meeting is convened.
6. 6Step 6 - Ethics evaluation: standard Horizon Europe ethics form completed by all applicants; pre-selected applicants undergo deeper ethics screening.
7. 7Step 7 - Final decision: pre-selection based on scores with tie-sorting rules published in the Guidelines; applicants receive Evaluation Summary Report within up to eight weeks after deadline closure.
8. 8Step 8 - Legal validation and Sub-grantee agreement: pre-selected startups complete legal validation (recommended via Portal PIC validation) and sign a Sub-grantee agreement with the consortium coordinator (Sploro).
9. 9Appeals: applicants may submit complaints within seven calendar days from the communication of results via an online appeal form; both eligibility and full-proposal decisions have appeal windows.

Evaluation criteria and outcomes

Evaluation criteria applied by external evaluators are Excellence, Impact and Implementation. Scores are normalised across evaluators to reduce bias. A maximum of 350 applications per deadline advance to external evaluation. Applicants receive an Evaluation Summary Report with feedback. Pre-selected startups must pass legal validation and then sign the Sub-grantee agreement before receiving funds and entering the Programme of Services.

Programme of services and follow-on support

Awarded startups receive a six-month personalised business development programme alongside the €75 000 grant. Services include mentoring, investor readiness, export readiness, soft skills training, sales strategy, environmental impact assessment, participation in events, peer meetings and community/perks. After a three-month programme evaluation (M3), at least 60 percent of selected startups will be eligible for a ‘Paving the way’ scaling package offering fast track to EIC Accelerator, open innovation and corporate access, targeted investor meetings and community creation.

1. 1Service 1: Women mentors (one meeting per month for 6 months)
2. 2Service 2: Investor readiness
3. 3Service 3: Export Readiness Check
4. 4Service 4: Soft Skills Training
5. 5Service 5: Sales Strategy
6. 6Service 6: Environmental Impact Assessment
7. 7Service 7: High Impact Events
8. 8Service 8: Peer-meetings
9. 9Service 9: Perks programme and Community
10. 10Service 10: Fast Track to EIC Accelerator (Paving the way phase)
11. 11Service 11: Open Innovation and Corporate Access (Paving the way phase)
12. 12Service 12: Targeted meetings with investors (Paving the way phase)
13. 13Service 13: Community creation (Paving the way phase)

Selection numbers, success rate and competition

Per full-proposal submission deadline, the programme aims to fund about 40 startups. With up to 350 applications reaching external evaluation per deadline, the implied selection rate at the external evaluation stage could be around 11.4 percent (40 selected out of 350 evaluated). The overall success rate from the first eligibility submission stage is expected to be lower because not all eligibility submissions will pass to external evaluation. Exact historical success rates are not provided in the scraped content. Applicants may resubmit Full Proposals up to two times.

Administrative and practical guidance

Submission platform:Sploro cascade funding platform linked from the Women TechEU website. All applications must be submitted in English and include mandatory annexes and supporting documents. Applicants are encouraged to validate their organisation via the EU Funding & Tenders Participant Register (PIC) to speed legal validation. Women TechEU will publish Guidelines for Applicants, an Annex 1 Word template for online forms, an FAQ document updated periodically, and an online Eligibility strand form. Participation in at least one online InfoDay is advised; multiple InfoDays are scheduled across the call period.

Structured answers to categorisation questions

Below are direct and structured responses to the specific categorisation questions requested.

Eligible Applicant Types:Primary: startups, SMEs, research spinouts legally established as SMEs; specifically women-founded or co-founded deep tech startups that meet the SME definition and the Women TechEU women-led ownership and management requirements. Secondary involvement from mentors, investors and ecosystem partners is foreseen in services but these are not direct grant beneficiaries.

Funding Type:Grant (cascade funding sub-grant; single payment of €75 000 per selected startup under a Sub-grantee agreement).

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant (single beneficiary startup) is the unit of application for the sub-grant following the eligibility validation. The award is a sub-grant from the consortium; the consortium itself manages the cascade funding. Consortia are not required for the beneficiary application.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Startups established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries eligible for the call. There is explicit preference and reserved funding for startups from widening countries within the EU.

Target Sector:Deep tech sectors as defined in the Guidelines for Applicants. The call targets deep tech innovations across domains (examples typically include advanced materials, photonics, AI, semiconductors, biotech/medtech, advanced machinery, quantum, cleantech, but applicants must consult the Guidelines for the exact eligible sectors).

Mentioned Countries:No individual countries are enumerated in the scraped text apart from the region-level eligibility: European Union Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Specific widening countries are referenced as a group but not listed in the provided text. For official country lists consult the Guidelines for Applicants and the Horizon Europe associated country list ¹.

Project Stage:Early-stage startups between TRL 4 and TRL 6 inclusive (pre-MVP to validated prototype stage). Registered between 6 months and 5 years and with less than €1 M equity raised.

Funding Amount:Per-beneficiary grant: €75 000. Total cascade budget: €12 000 000. Per-deadline budget: €3 000 000. Widening area reservation per-deadline: €1 200 000.

Application Type:Open call with continuous eligibility intake and multiple fixed (cut-off) full-proposal deadlines. Submission is via an open call online on the Sploro platform.

Nature of Support:Monetary support (€75 000 non-diluting grant) plus non-monetary services (six-month business development programme and follow-on scaling services).

Application Stages:Multi-stage: two operational strands (1 Eligibility strand; 2 Full Proposal strand) plus the evaluation pipeline which includes administrative checks, flags check, external evaluation, normalization and consensus, ethics screening, pre-selection, legal validation and signing of Sub-grantee agreement. This corresponds to 8+ logical stages from initial eligibility to funding disbursement.

Success Rates:Not published explicitly. Indicative selection per deadline is approximately 40 out of up to 350 externally evaluated applications, implying an estimated success rate at external evaluation stage of roughly 11 percent. Overall success rate from initial eligibility submissions will be lower and depends on the number of eligibility submissions and the proportion passing to external evaluation.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding requirement is stated in the scraped content for receiving the €75 000 sub-grant. Beneficiaries must however comply with Sub-grantee agreement obligations and programme participation and reporting.

Application templates and form structure

The Women TechEU call provides an Annex 1 Word template that mirrors the online application form structure. While the full template content is not reproduced in the scraped text, the application forms are divided into sections covering administrative data, eligibility declarations, technical and business descriptions, TRL and milestone information, IP and ethics, budgets and annexes. Applicants must complete the Eligibility strand online form; eligible startups receive an invitation to the Full Proposal where they must follow the Annex 1 template structure and provide mandatory supporting documents in English.

1. 1Eligibility strand form: concise declarations to verify the eligibility criteria listed above (company registration date, amount of equity raised, TRL, sector, SME status, women-led ownership and management information).
2. 2Full Proposal form (Annex 1): sections likely include executive summary, excellence (technology and novelty), impact (market, growth, scaling plan, investor readiness), implementation (team, timelines, milestones, use of funds), ethics checklist, requested services selection (top three), and annexes (founders CVs, legal documents, cap table, IP status).
3. 3Mandatory annexes and supporting documents: to be uploaded in English; exact list to be found in the Guidelines for Applicants and Annex 1.

Communications, events and support

Women TechEU will run multiple online InfoDays across the application period. The scraped content lists scheduled InfoDay dates between June 2026 and May 2027. A central helpdesk email helpdesk@womentecheurope.eu is available for questions. Applicants are strongly advised to consult the Guidelines, the FAQ and attend at least one InfoDay.

1. 11st InfoDay: 25 June 2026 10:00 CEST
2. 22nd InfoDay: 08 July 2026 10:00 CEST
3. 33rd InfoDay: 06 August 2026 12:00 CEST
4. 44th InfoDay: 15 September 2026 16:00 CET
5. 55th InfoDay: 10 November 2026 16:00 CET
6. 66th InfoDay: 12 January 2027 10:00 CET
7. 77th InfoDay: 16 March 2027 16:00 CEST
8. 88th InfoDay: 04 May 2027 10:00 CEST

Legal, ethics and appeals

All applicants must fill in the standard Horizon Europe ethics form as part of the Full Proposal. Pre-selected applicants will undergo a deeper ethics screening by external experts. After results are communicated, applicants can appeal decisions within seven calendar days using an online appeals form; complaints should contain detailed explanation and evidence. Legal validation of the beneficiary’s PIC and supporting documents is required before signing the Sub-grantee agreement. The Consortium coordinator (Sploro) signs the Sub-grantee agreement with beneficiaries.

Summary — What is this opportunity about and how to approach it

Women TechEU 2 EIC is a targeted cascade funding programme to accelerate women-led early-stage deep tech startups across the EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. It offers a €75 000 non-diluting grant plus a tailored six-month business development programme and subsequent scaling support. The call is highly competitive with structured eligibility checks, multi-step evaluation, ethics screening and legal validation. Startups must be early-stage deep tech SMEs, women-founded or co-founded with women in leadership and holding at least 25 percent of shares, registered between 6 months and 5 years, with less than €1 M equity raised, and operating at TRL 4–6. Applications are submitted via the Sploro platform following an Eligibility Strand that runs continuously with weekly cut-offs, and eligible companies are invited to submit Full Proposals to one of four deadlines. Applicants should carefully consult and follow the Guidelines for Applicants and Annex 1 template, validate their PIC in the Participant Register ahead of selection, prepare mandatory annexes in English, attend an InfoDay, and be ready for investor- and scaling-focused acceleration services post-award. The initiative prioritises inclusion of startups from widening countries and reserves significant budget for these regions to balance geographic impact.

For official call text, full guidelines, Annex 1 template and to submit:consult the Women TechEU call page on the EU Funding & Tenders portal and the Sploro cascade funding submission site Women TechEU opportunity Sploro application ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official Women TechEU call page and documentation are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Women TechEU / Sploro cascade funding platform. Applicants must consult the Guidelines for Applicants and Annex 1 for exhaustive lists of eligible deep tech domains, precise documentation requirements and the list of eligible Horizon Europe associated countries.

Key Facts at a Glance

Women TechEU 2 EIC is a cascade funding initiative supporting 160 women-led early-stage deep tech startups across the EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (including the UK) with €75,000 equity-free grants and a tailored business development programme ¹². The call operates via a two-stage process: first an Eligibility Strand with weekly cut-offs, then a Full Proposal strand with four competitive deadlines ³⁵.

Who Should Apply

Core Eligibility Criteria:Applicants must be women-led SMEs established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, registered for 6–5 months, raised less than €1M equity, operating between TRL4–TRL6 (not at MVP), and active in deep tech sectors ³¹¹.

1. 1Women-led: Founded/co-founded by a woman holding a top management role (CEO, CTO, CSO) and at least 25% shares
2. 2Deep tech: Active in AI, biotech, quantum, robotics, advanced materials, energy, space, or related fields ¹¹
3. 3Early-stage: Not yet at Minimum Viable Product, between TRL4 and TRL6 ¹¹
4. 4SME status: Must qualify under EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC ³
5. 5No prior funding: Must not have received Women TechEU or EIC Accelerator funding for same activities ¹³
6. 6Widening areas priority: 40% of budget per deadline reserved for startups from widening countries ¹²

Application Process

The process consists of two strands:(1) Eligibility Strand – submit a simplified form via Sploro platform; results within 1 week; (2) Full Proposal Strand – only eligible startups invited to submit full proposal with business plan, pitch deck, financials, and investor pre-commitment ¹³.

Timeline Rules:If you receive your Eligibility Letter more than 15 days before the next Full Proposal deadline, you must submit by that deadline. If 14 days or fewer, you may submit at the following deadline ³.

1. 1Eligibility Strand: Opens 1 June 2026, weekly cut-offs every Tuesday at 17:00 CEST, first cut-off 30 June 2026, final 13 July 2027 ³¹⁰
2. 2Full Proposal Strand: Opens 15 July 2026; four deadlines: 16 Sep 2026, 14 Jan 2027, 01 Apr 2027, 08 Jul 2027 ³
3. 3Max resubmissions: 3 for Eligibility Strand, 2 for Full Proposal Strand ¹³
4. 4Evaluation Summary Report sent within 8 weeks after deadline closure ³

What You Receive Beyond Funding

Each beneficiary receives €75,000 non-dilutive grant plus a 6-month personalised business development programme including mentorship, investor readiness, export check, soft skills, sales strategy, environmental impact assessment, high-impact events, peer meetings, and community perks ¹².

Service Selection:At submission, applicants select their top 3 preferred services from the menu; additional EIC Business Accelerator services may be offered during execution ²¹⁶.

1. 1Service 1: Female mentors (1 meeting/month for 6 months)
2. 2Service 2: Investor readiness & pitch preparation
3. 3Service 3: Export readiness check
4. 4Service 4: Soft skills training
5. 5Service 5: Sales strategy & execution
6. 6Service 6: Environmental impact assessment
7. 7Service 7: High-impact events (10 editions)
8. 8Service 8: Peer meetings
9. 9Service 9: Perks programme & community
10. 10Post-M3 Phase (for 60% of startups): Fast track to EIC Accelerator, open innovation, targeted investor meetings, community creation ¹²

How to Apply & Support

Apply via the Sploro platform at Women TechEU Eligibility Strand. All documents must be in English. Paper submissions are not allowed ³¹¹.

Info Days (Recommended):Attend at least one online info session: 25 Jun, 08 Jul, 06 Aug, 15 Sep, 10 Nov 2026, 12 Jan, 16 Mar, 04 May 2027 (times vary 10:00–16:00 CEST) ³.

For questions, contact the official helpdesk at helpdesk@womentecheurope.eu. Do not use personal/social media messages ⁴.

Footnotes

1. 1Official Women TechEU About Page: Women TechEU About
2. 2Funding Summary: Catalyze Group Women TechEU
3. 3Innovate UK Business Connect Guide: IUK Women TechEU 2026-27
4. 4Official Helpdesk Contact: Sploro Women TechEU News
5. 5LinkedIn Announcement: NI Business Info LinkedIn
6. 6Active Calls Page: Women TechEU Active Calls
7. 7Cascade Funding Hub: Cascade Funding Hub Women TechEU
8. 8EIT Deep Tech Talent: EIT Deep Tech Talent Women TechEU
9. 9Lira Ltd Welcome Back: Lira Ltd Women TechEU
10. 10EISMEA Third Open Call: EISMEA Women TechEU Third Call
11. 11Open Access Government: Open Access Government Women TechEU