Women Innovators in Manufacturing at EIT RIS

Who are LEADERS – Women Innovators in Manufacturing at EIT Regional Innovation Scheme?

LEADERS is a competition aiming to reach out to support the best women innovators (i.e. professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs) playing a leading role in developing solutions / initiatives addressing manufacturing-related challenges with strong financial, environmental, or societal impact.
In the first round of submissions, 30 applicants will be pre-selected and receive online pitch training. In the second round of submissions, six top-ranked applicants will be invited to a grand final awarding ceremony where three winners will receive publicity and prizes in the amount of
1. EUR 10.000
2. EUR 7.500
3. EUR 5.000

Who can Apply?

EIT Manufacturing invites women innovators (i.e. professionals, students, researchers or entrepreneurs) who are citizens from an EIT RIS (Regional Innovation Scheme) eligible country to apply. Applicants must have played a leading role in developing innovative manufacturing-related solutions with strong financial, environmental, or societal impact.

EIT RIS Eligible countries*

  • EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
  • Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
  • Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain).

The applicant must be able to prove her citizenship of one of the aforementioned EIT RIS eligible countries or EU Outermost Regions.

*according to the European Commission’s Innovation Scoreboard

Key Dates

Call opens: May 10, 2022
Call closes: July 5, 2022, 23:00 CET

1st round of evaluation: July2022
Online pitch trainings: August – September 2022
Submission video pitch: October 2022
2nd round of evaluation: October – November 2022
Grand final awarding ceremony: December 2022

Application period closed for 2022

Please stay tuned for more information.

For any questions, please reach out to: