One-liner: the European Innovation Council (EIC) programme backing women-led early-stage deeptech startups across the EU and associated countries with equity-free funding plus a business-development package. This page covers the programme's institutional identity (EIC ownership, mission, EU-wide reach); for the current open call — amount, deadlines, application steps — see the fully enriched program page: Women TechEU 2026.
What a founder gets
- €75,000 non-dilutive (equity-free) grant per selected company (2026 call terms — see program page for exact current figure/cut-offs).
- A personalised business-development programme — mentoring, coaching and training aimed at scale-up readiness, not just cash.
- Access to the EIC ecosystem — visibility and potential onward routes into other EIC instruments (Accelerator, Pathfinder) and the CDTI Sello de Excelencia EIC recognition track.
- Live and continuing: the EIC confirmed a further €12M round for the programme on 12 June 2026, indicating strong institutional commitment rather than a one-off pilot.
Who it's for
- Women-led, early-stage deeptech startups established in the EU or an associated Horizon Europe country. "Women-led" and full eligibility are defined precisely in the official Guidelines for Applicants — read those before applying, not just this summary.
- Locally, CEEI Valencia surfaces the open call in its open-calls aggregator as a convenience channel — the authoritative source is always womentecheurope.eu.
How to engage
- Check the current call status and cut-off calendar on Women TechEU 2026 (the program page has the full two-stage process: Eligibility Strand via the Sploro applicant platform, then Full Proposal).
- Read the official Guidelines for Applicants before submitting.
- Locally, monitor CEEI Valencia's open-calls listing as a secondary heads-up channel.
Key facts
- Run under the EIC (European Innovation Council) — an EU-level (not national or regional) instrument; governance
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eu. - Rolling/cyclical design: the programme runs on weekly eligibility cut-offs rather than a single annual deadline, making it one of the more continuously-open EU deeptech grants relevant to Valencia founders.
- 2026 funding continuation confirmed 12 June 2026 (+€12M), signalling the programme is expected to keep running beyond the current cohort. #status/verify (confirm post-2027 continuation once announced)
- Distinguish this org-level page (the programme's EU institutional identity) from Women TechEU 2026 (the specific, dated, apply-to instrument with amounts and deadlines) per the wiki's org/program split.
Relations
- See also: CEEI Valencia
- See also: EIT KIC Accelerators
- See also: CDTI Sello de Excelencia EIC 2026
- See also: Deeptech (niche)
- Now known as: Women TechEU 2026