EIC Women Leadership Programme

About

To support the role of women in innovation and tech, the European Innovation Council (EIC), in partnership with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), offers a skills enhancement and networking programme for women researchers and entrepreneurs, the EIC Women Leadership Programme.    

The programme is open to women researchers, aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs from the EIC and EIT Communities.  Each cohort consists of both virtual and in-person training sessions, led by high-profile experienced trainers who challenge participants’ leadership approaches with inspiring case studies and use participatory approaches to encourage active engagement. Participants benefit from individual coaching and personal mentoring. Through dedicated networking events, they also engage with peers and inspiring role models.  

Want to know more? Dive into our curated video playlist: 

Who is eligible to participate?

The EIC Women Leadership Programme offers recurring cohorts aimed at participants from both EIC and EIT beneficiary groups: 

• Advanced entrepreneurial cohort: Experienced women leaders (co-founders and/or in c-suite positions) seeking to enhance their skills and broaden their professional connections. 
• Researcher cohort: Women researchers engaged in research endeavours with ambitions to spearhead the transformation of their research initiatives into successful businesses seeking to enhance their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.  

The 8th EIC WLP cohort, starting in March 2025, is specifically designed for women leaders who are part of a founding team and/or in a chief position (CEO or other C-suite Manager) of companies established at least 2 years before the call deadline.  

Eligible candidates can apply to open calls launched on the EIC Community (see further details below). 

What does the programme offer?

Participants will benefit from a tailored programme following a needs assessment, including specific training sessions with interactive exercises and discussions, networking events, personalised mentorship, and business-coaching schemes: 

Trainings 

Participants have access to training sessions on topics such as negotiation, pitching, leadership styles, marketing, and public speaking, that address the participants’ needs. The trainings take place during business days in the mornings, once a week, with a duration of 2 hours each. Sessions are led by experts from various industries and are designed to be interactive, offering hands-on exercises and case studies to help participants put their leadership skills into practice. 

Networking  

Dedicated networking events take place throughout the programme to increase the participants’ network and heighten their visibility with key stakeholders in the European innovation ecosystem. During the training sessions, keynote speakers provide testimonials and facilitate networking moments. WLP fosters and promotes the exchange of experiences between its cohort participants and provides speed-dating activities with mentors. 

Personal Mentoring and Business Coaching 

The mentors, ranging from experienced CEOs and investors to serial entrepreneurs, are matched with participants based on career challenges faced by the participant. Participants meet with their mentors on a regular basis to receive support on their career goals and challenges. 

In addition, participants can work with an expert EIC business coach. These experts support participants with business related goals and challenges, such as identifying new business opportunities.   

Alumni Group

Participants of the programme are invited to join an exclusive alumni group, facilitating ongoing communication with 200+ fellow participants. This platform serves as a hub for networking, sharing events, and staying updated on relevant news within the community. 

Open call: EIC WLP 8th cohort for women leaders

The Application Call for the EIC WLP 8th cohort is now open! Women founders, co-founders, and leaders in C-suite positions can apply by filling in the application form on the EIC Community by Wednesday, 12 February (23:59 CET).

FAQ

Find all the answers on the EIC Women Leadership Programme 8^th cohort in the FAQs. 

Upcoming cohorts

We have one more cohort for the same target group starting in September 2025. Stay tuned for the application details should this not be the right time for your application.

Background information

Support to women innovators is among the cornerstones of the EIC efforts to ensure Europe’s economic resilience and global competitiveness. The wide recognition and traction with high potential startups, especially from underrepresented groups such as women innovators and those from less developed ecosystems, have thus been included among the six strategic goals that the EIC Board has identified for the period of 2021-2027.

EIC initiatives are providing a positive outcome to change the status quo and the gender gap in research and business. Almost 20% of the companies awarded so far under the EIC Accelerator scheme are led by women, with the March 2024 cut-off seeing record-high number of women-led companies among applicants. 36% applications came from women-led business, with 40% of awarded businesses being women-led.  In addition, 24% of all projects supported under the EIC Pathfinder are coordinated by women.

The EIC Women Leadership Programme and the Women TechEU scheme are the main actions that the EIC is taking to support the role of women in deep tech. In addition, EIC recognises annually, under the European Prize for Women Innovators, the women from across Europe, whose disruptive innovations are driving positive change for people and planet.  

Implementing partners