今日黑料

Women TechEU scheme re-opens with another 鈧�12 million in equity-free grants for women founders in deep tech

The third edition of (2026-2028), an EU-funded project supporting women leading deep tech start-up companies from Europe, has been launched and opened its call for applications.

Over the next two years, 160 selected European start-ups will receive €75,000 in non-dilutive funding, together with a personalised business development programme including one-to-one mentoring, training, matchmaking with investors and corporates, and networking opportunities.

At the heart of Women TechEU is the belief that diversity drives innovation, and for too long European women’s talent and potential has been hampered by structural barriers, including gender inequality and geographical resource capacity. Closing this gap between European women and men-led deep tech companies could unlock value of up to .

In this context, Women TechEU has cemented itself as one of the EU’s most dynamic and impactful innovation programmes, supporting 344 women-led companies over 6 cohorts who are pushing the boundaries of European deep tech. Its began when it was administered directly by the European Commission in 2021. As of 2024, the Women TechEU Scheme has been externalised and run by two successive consortiums of European organisations, and is currently being run by a consortium made up of 15 organisations from 11 EU countries.

, a Maltese SME, is a core partner in the managing consortium, leading the implementation of several key aspects of the scheme. Maltese women-led deep tech companies have the opportunity to tap into this competitive funding scheme, which reserves 40% of its budget exclusively for the participation of organisations from areas that face innovation gaps compared to the EU average - Malta being one such area.

The Women TechEU open call will be receiving applications over the next year.

The eligibility application phase launched on 1 June 2026, with weekly cut-offs every Tuesday at 17:00 (Brussels time) starting from 30 June 2026 up till 13 July 2027.

The application for the full proposal will open in July 2026, with 4 submission deadlines.

All information and the applications can be accessed via the Women TechEU website.