Women Leadership Category
Horizon Europe Recognition Prize
Funding Amount
Amount not specified
Deadline
25/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Other
Trusted by
What is the Women Leadership Category Call?
Grant Description
The prize will recognise and celebrate women innovators in deep-tech and STEM fields by awarding the top three leaders who have founded breakthrough innovations with significant socio-economic or environmental impact. It aims to increase public awareness of women’s contribution to the EU innovation ecosystem, create strong role models, and inspire more women to innovate.
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
The competition aims to:
• Boost public awareness of the potential, importance and contribution of women innovators within the EU innovation ecosystem.
• Create and showcase strong role models who inspire more women and girls to pursue innovation careers, particularly in deep-tech and STEM fields.
• Highlight breakthrough innovations that address real societal or environmental challenges, demonstrating socio-economic and environmental impact (e.g., wellbeing, education, job creation, profit).
• Promote gender balance and gender-responsive innovation in companies and organisations, encouraging leaders to advocate for equitable access to finance, networks, design and education.
• Strengthen the visibility and attractiveness of the EU innovation ecosystem to diverse talent, thereby fostering a more inclusive and dynamic innovation landscape.
• Boost public awareness of the potential, importance and contribution of women innovators within the EU innovation ecosystem.
• Create and showcase strong role models who inspire more women and girls to pursue innovation careers, particularly in deep-tech and STEM fields.
• Highlight breakthrough innovations that address real societal or environmental challenges, demonstrating socio-economic and environmental impact (e.g., wellbeing, education, job creation, profit).
• Promote gender balance and gender-responsive innovation in companies and organisations, encouraging leaders to advocate for equitable access to finance, networks, design and education.
• Strengthen the visibility and attractiveness of the EU innovation ecosystem to diverse talent, thereby fostering a more inclusive and dynamic innovation landscape.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Eligibility of applicants and their organisations:
• Applicant must be a woman (cis or legally defined transgender), natural person (no self-employed sole traders) and legal resident of an EU Member State, OCT or Horizon Europe associated country.
• Must be founder or co‐founder of a company/organisation registered/incorporated at least two years prior to the call year (i.e. before 1 January 2023) in an EU Member State, OCT or associated country.
• Applicants who have already received an EU/Euratom prize for the same activities are ineligible; those eligible for multiple prize categories may only apply to one.
• Joint applications are forbidden; multiple applicants from the same organisation must apply separately.
• Rising Innovators category: applicant born on or after 1 January 1990 (under 35 at start of call year).
• EIT category: direct link to the EIT Community or a KIC, evidenced by a certificate, agreement or diploma.
Application and submission requirements:
• Complete online submission via Portal before the deadline; paper submissions not allowed.
• Use only the forms and templates provided in the Submission System (Part A, Part B, annexes).
• Part B limited to 15 pages (excess pages not evaluated).
• Video message ≤90 seconds, ≤100 MB in .zip format.
• Proof of link to EIT Community (where applicable).
• Applicants must register in the Participant Register as a natural person and be validated by REA Central Validation Service.
Award and evaluation:
• Three award criteria: Breakthrough innovation, Impact, Inspiration (each scored 0–10).
• Minimum individual score: 6/10; overall minimum: 18/30.
• Prize awarded to top-ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category.
• Applicant must be a woman (cis or legally defined transgender), natural person (no self-employed sole traders) and legal resident of an EU Member State, OCT or Horizon Europe associated country.
• Must be founder or co‐founder of a company/organisation registered/incorporated at least two years prior to the call year (i.e. before 1 January 2023) in an EU Member State, OCT or associated country.
• Applicants who have already received an EU/Euratom prize for the same activities are ineligible; those eligible for multiple prize categories may only apply to one.
• Joint applications are forbidden; multiple applicants from the same organisation must apply separately.
• Rising Innovators category: applicant born on or after 1 January 1990 (under 35 at start of call year).
• EIT category: direct link to the EIT Community or a KIC, evidenced by a certificate, agreement or diploma.
Application and submission requirements:
• Complete online submission via Portal before the deadline; paper submissions not allowed.
• Use only the forms and templates provided in the Submission System (Part A, Part B, annexes).
• Part B limited to 15 pages (excess pages not evaluated).
• Video message ≤90 seconds, ≤100 MB in .zip format.
• Proof of link to EIT Community (where applicable).
• Applicants must register in the Participant Register as a natural person and be validated by REA Central Validation Service.
Award and evaluation:
• Three award criteria: Breakthrough innovation, Impact, Inspiration (each scored 0–10).
• Minimum individual score: 6/10; overall minimum: 18/30.
• Prize awarded to top-ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
Restrictions and exclusion criteria:
• Only natural persons; entities without legal personality may participate only if their representatives can assume legal obligations and guarantee EU financial interests.
• No applications from entities under EU restrictive measures (Article 29 TEU, Article 215 TFEU) or conditionality measures (EU Regulation 2020/2092) unless lifted by award decision date.
• Exclusion for applicants subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies under previous EU contracts, tax or social security breaches, resisting audits, or misrepresentation.
• Applicants involved in call preparation causing conflict of interest are barred.
• Applicants may be asked post‐submission for legal entity validation, bank account validation, ethics review, declaration of honour, etc.
Submission format and IPR:
• All documents must be readable, accessible and printable; use only provided templates.
• Awarding authority does not claim ownership of results; retains right to use non-sensitive materials (e.g., photos, videos) for information, communication and publicity.
Communication and visibility obligations:
• Winners must acknowledge EU support, display the EU emblem distinctly, and include the prescribed funding statement and disclaimers in all dissemination.
• No other logos may overshadow the EU emblem; use of emblem does not require prior approval but cannot be appropriated.
Checks, audits, recovery:
• The awarding authority, European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and ECA may conduct audits and investigations.
• Prize may be withdrawn and funds recovered if awarded on false information, fraud, or where winners are later found ineligible or in serious breach of contest rules.
• Only natural persons; entities without legal personality may participate only if their representatives can assume legal obligations and guarantee EU financial interests.
• No applications from entities under EU restrictive measures (Article 29 TEU, Article 215 TFEU) or conditionality measures (EU Regulation 2020/2092) unless lifted by award decision date.
• Exclusion for applicants subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies under previous EU contracts, tax or social security breaches, resisting audits, or misrepresentation.
• Applicants involved in call preparation causing conflict of interest are barred.
• Applicants may be asked post‐submission for legal entity validation, bank account validation, ethics review, declaration of honour, etc.
Submission format and IPR:
• All documents must be readable, accessible and printable; use only provided templates.
• Awarding authority does not claim ownership of results; retains right to use non-sensitive materials (e.g., photos, videos) for information, communication and publicity.
Communication and visibility obligations:
• Winners must acknowledge EU support, display the EU emblem distinctly, and include the prescribed funding statement and disclaimers in all dissemination.
• No other logos may overshadow the EU emblem; use of emblem does not require prior approval but cannot be appropriated.
Checks, audits, recovery:
• The awarding authority, European Commission, OLAF, EPPO and ECA may conduct audits and investigations.
• Prize may be withdrawn and funds recovered if awarded on false information, fraud, or where winners are later found ineligible or in serious breach of contest rules.
Important dates
Open from: 17/06/2025
Deadline:25/09/2025
Application period has ended
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