Is promoting the female role models and innovative business leaders of today - across the entrepreneurial spectrum - something that sparks your interest? You’ve come to the right place then. To shed further light and reinforce the ongoing support on the uphill battle that has been the participation of women in the innovation, tech and business areas, the European Innovation Council (EIC) is launching a full-fledged impactful Women Leadership Programme (WLP). 50 women researchers and entrepreneurs were selected from a pool of over 200 applicants coming from various EIC funded projects (Accelerator, Pathfinder, and other Horizon 2020 legacy calls). Given this matter is becoming more important with each passing day, on the 7th  October 2021, the EIC Women Leadership Programme will be officially set in motion with an event that will outline its services.

Register here (applications are open until the 5th  October 2021).

Changing the status quo has never been so important. Learn the answers to questions such as ‘Why is the EIC WLP so important’, ‘What is in it for you’, ‘What are its benefits’, ‘How to promote gender equality in the workplace’, among others, by following the launching event and meeting the programme’s participants and mentors. So, save the date: on the 7th  October 2021, from 16:00 to 18:00 (CEST), we’ll introduce you the EIC Women Leadership Programme

Apart from an overview of the programme and its services, this launching event will feature speeches and testimonials as well. You can expect the presence of high-level European Commission officials such as Mariya Gabriel (European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) and Jean-David Malo (Director of EISMEA). Kinga Stanislawska (investor and entrepreneur, former member of the EIC Advisory Board and member of the EIC Fund Investment Committee) will also be with us to shed light on the challenges faced by females active in the world of research and innovation.

There will also be a roundtable discussion on ‘Female Leadership: where we are and where we need to go’ with contributions from EIC-funded companies and awarded female innovators, committed to challenging barriers and drive forward their innovations and business ideas.

Event Plan

7th October (16:00 – 18:00 CEST)

Katrina Sichel | Host

16:10 to 16:45

- Welcome by EC and EISMEA Representatives

Speakers:

Mariya Gabriel | European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

Jean-David Malo | Director of EISMEA

Kinga Stanislawska | Investor and entrepreneur, former member of the EIC Advisory Board and member of the EIC Fund Investment Committee

16:45 to 17:15

- Presentation of the Women Leadership Programme:

What’s in it for the EIC Beneficiaries?

Speaker: Veronica Beneitez Pinero | Deputy Head of Transition Activities and Business Acceleration Services Unit, EISMEA

- Q&A

17:15 to 17:45

- Roundtable: Female Leadership: where we are and where we need to go

Speakers:

Josefien Groot | CEO and co-founder of Qlayers

Rebecca Saive | Founder of ETC Solar

Taryn Andersen | CEO and co-founder of Impulse4women

Pedro Álvarez | CEO of ivoro Food Innovation Hub and mentor/coach

17:45 to 17:50

- Open session – Participants Q&A

17:50 to 18:00

- Closing Remarks

Speakers:

Viorel Peca | Head of Transition Activities and Business Acceleration Services Unit, EISMEA

Kinga Stanislawska | Investor and entrepreneur, former member of the EIC Advisory Board and member of the EIC investment committee

Additional information

About the EIC Women Leadership Programme

Women-led companies are on the rise. The participation of women in deep tech is not only a matter of fairness but an important case of using Europe’s full potential of excellence in science and businesses. The EIC proactively seized this great opportunity for growth: the latest EIC Accelerator calls stated that at least 25% of applications invited for the second stage of evaluation should come from women (co)founded or led companies. As a result, the number of selected women (co) founded and led companies went from 7% to 34% (compared to the previous EIC-call). This contributed to an overall increase in the female led companies from 8% to 15% (blended finance calls only).  

To further build upon this, the EIC is offering a dedicated mentoring programme, the EIC Women Leadership Programme (WLP), which aims to level the playing field in scalable businesses and mindsets by unlocking potential and breaking down barriers to success!   

Need help?

For additional information, please refer to our helpdesk (please choose 'EIC Women Leadership Programme' as the subject) or visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here.