The European Innovation Council and SMEs Agency contributes to the Commission’s objective to achieve a Union of Equality through various programs that offer funding, business accelerator services, coaching, and business partnerships to women entrepreneurs.
Supporting Female Founders and Innovators
Women are a significant source of talent that is often discouraged or excluded from the tech industry. Research by the European Institute of Technology in collaboration with Dealroom has shown that inclusivity is essential for unlocking Europe’s innovation potential. Women-founded tech scale-ups have demonstrated faster growth compared to their competitors over the past five years, highlighting the untapped potential that could benefit Europe if the tech industry becomes more inclusive to women.
Since 2020, the European Innovation Council (EIC) has implemented various measures to actively promote and support women innovators and researchers, aiming to enhance Europe’s innovation capacity and ensure the relevance of its outputs to all citizens.
Initiatives such as prioritizing women CEOs in Accelerator Interviews, the WomenTech EU program supporting early-stage deep-tech startups led by women, and the Women Leadership Programme offering coaching and mentoring to EIC-funded women entrepreneurs have been introduced. The EIC also presents an annual European Prize for Women Innovators in collaboration with the European Institute of Technology to recognize and promote successful women entrepreneurs who have brought their innovations to market.
A Comprehensive Support System for Women-Led Companies and Young Entrepreneurs
The Single Market Programme (SMP) includes several actions to support women-led businesses, bringing unique perspectives and ideas that lead to increased profitability and sustainable growth.
The Enterprise Europe Network provides a comprehensive support system to help women-led businesses succeed by offering access to valuable information, opportunities to reach new markets, assistance in finding business partners, advice on EU funding, and connections to innovation services.
Women entrepreneurs can also benefit from the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange program and the ESTEAM initiative, which provides a community for girls and women interested in developing their digital and entrepreneurial skills.
Upcoming SMP actions will further support women entrepreneurs through the European network for gender-conscious investors and the Support to Women Entrepreneurs initiative.
Background
Promoting gender equality in all aspects of life is a priority for the European Commission, working with Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe to overcome barriers to women entrepreneurship and create fair, inclusive, and prosperous innovation ecosystems in Europe.
Investing in women and promoting gender equality is crucial to building an inclusive society, just economies, and a sustainable planet for future generations. This aligns with the United Nations theme for 2024, “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”.
