Women TechEU: Record-breaking number of applications for the third open call

The Women TechEU’s third open call officially closed on 17 March 2025, and the response has been extraordinary. The EU-funded initiative has shattered its records, receiving an unprecedented 1,038 applications from 42 eligible countries, including 26 widening countries. This milestone marks the highest number of applications in the programme's history, demonstrating its growing influence in championing women-led deep tech start-ups.

Geographic diversity of applications

This latest call drew applicants from a vast array of countries, showcasing a truly pan-European reach. The United Kingdom led the submissions with 185 applications, followed by Türkiye with 97, a particularly notable figure given its status as a widening country. Other strong contenders included Spain (81), France (80), Germany (76), and the Netherlands (47). With 26 of the 42 eligible countries classified as widening countries, Women TechEU continues to extend its impact into underrepresented innovation ecosystems.

Sectoral representation

Once again, the third call witnessed a dynamic representation across multiple deep tech domains. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (including Big Data) led the way, with (51.5%) of applicants selecting this sector, showing its critical role in shaping future innovation. Biotechnology, life sciences, and agritech followed at (30.3%), demonstrating the continued importance of advancements in healthcare and agriculture. Sustainable energy, clean technologies, and greentech accounted for (13.7%) of applications, reflecting ongoing efforts of women in deep tech toward environmental sustainability.

Other significant sectors included Advanced Materials (8.8%), Advanced Manufacturing (5.8%), Other (5.5%) and Internet of Things, W3C, and Semantic Web (4.8%). Emerging trends were also apparent in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Metaverse (3.9%), Aerospace, Automotive and Remote Sensing (3.4%), as well as Web 3.0, Blockchain, and Distributed Ledgers (3.1%), pointing to an increasing interest in decentralised technologies. Other niche sectors such as Cybersecurity (1.8%), Robotics (1.3%), Communications and Networks, including 5G/6G (1.2%), Semiconductors (microchips) (1.2%), Electronics and Photonics (1.1%) and Quantum Computing (0.9%) also made their mark, reflecting the diversity of deep tech innovation.

With a total of 1,432 sector selections across 1,038 applications, the data highlights the multidisciplinary nature of women-led deep tech startups and their capacity to bridge diverse technological domains. Please note that, in this category, companies could indicate multiple sectors of operation, meaning these figures do not represent a direct one-to-one correlation between the number of companies, sectors, or the percentage of companies within each sector.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of Startups

The submitted applications displayed a broad spectrum of TRLs, reflecting the varying stages of maturity among deep tech startups. Given that only TRLs 3 through 6 were eligible for the program, the majority of accepted applications fell within this range. TRL 3 (175 startups) and TRL 4 (266 startups) were the most prevalent, while TRL 5 (271 startups) and TRL 6 (195 startups) also represented a significant share, emphasising the initiative’s focus on supporting startups in the validation and demonstration phases. Of the 1,038 applications evaluated, 907 met the eligibility requirements in terms of TRL, while 131 were deemed ineligible due to their TRL. This distribution highlights Women TechEU’s strategic role in advancing early-to-mid-stage innovations, ensuring that promising technologies receive essential support to progress toward commercialisation.

DataHub: showcasing innovation

To celebrate and promote the achievements of these groundbreaking startups, Women TechEU continues to improve its dedicated DataHub. This online platform offers a deep dive into the winning startups, helping to foster connections and amplify their presence within the deep tech community. It’s an invaluable resource for investors, policymakers, and innovators eager to discover the groundbreaking work being led by women across diverse technological fields.

Explore the DataHub at: https://datahub.womentecheurope.eu 

With Women TechEU breaking new records, supporting an ever-wider network of women-led startups, and championing cutting-edge technologies, its role in shaping the future of deep tech innovation has never been more significant. The momentum continues, and the best is yet to come.

What’s next?

Following the recent closure of the OC #3 for startups, the Women TechEU consortium is set to launch a final call, yet to be announced, and will be selecting 40 beneficiaries. Each selected startup will receive a €75 000 grant (non-dilutive funding) alongside a personalised business development programme, which includes mentoring, coaching, and targeted training. With this robust support, the programme aims to empower more women-led startups in the deep tech space.

For stakeholders interested in collaborating to promote the Women TechEU scheme through a physical or virtual activity, the consortium encourages reaching out to the dedicated Events Team at eventswomentecheurope [dot] eu (events[at]womentecheurope[dot]eu).

For more information

All relevant details, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the Women TechEU website. Interested applicants are encouraged to consult the Guidelines for Applicants and the FAQ section for more information.

For any questions regarding the Women TechEU scheme, please contact the official Helpdesk Team at helpdeskwomentecheurope [dot] eu (helpdesk[at]womentecheurope[dot]eu).