Open Call for Implementing Participants of the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) Programme 2027–2028
EIT Food is seeking organisations to implement the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) Programme in 2027–2028, supporting women entrepreneurs through tailored training, mentoring and access to networks and funding.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine
Deadline: 5 January 2027
EIT Food is seeking qualified organisations to implement the EWA Programme across eligible EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS) countries in 2027 and 2028. This call aims to select organisations with strong expertise in supporting entrepreneurs, access to relevant innovation ecosystems and experience in empowering women entrepreneurs, preferably in the agrifood technology sector.
Selected organisations will join the EWA Programme as Implementing Participants, delivering one of two complementary modules designed to support women entrepreneurs at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey:
Module 2 (Grow): Delivered through local cohorts in national languages, supporting women entrepreneurs, including those with business ideas and early-stage founders, in validating and strengthening their business ideas through training, personalised mentoring and connections with local entrepreneurial ecosystems. Up to 12 organisations will be selected across the eligible countries.
Module 3 (Advance): Delivered by one organisation at pan-European level, in English, supporting agrifood technology startups founded by women with demonstrated market traction to strengthen their commercial and investment readiness, engage with corporate partners and scale internationally.
Implementing Participants will be responsible for delivering their respective programmes, including outreach and identifying potential participants, participant selection and onboarding, programme design, training, one-to-one mentoring, ecosystem engagement and the organisation of key activities and events, including kick-off and matchmaking sessions, masterclasses and Demo Days. Each programme must support a minimum of 10 startups and provide tailored guidance and connections to relevant experts, corporate partners, investors and potential partners.
The call is open to legal entities established in eligible EIT RIS countries, including companies, incubators, accelerators, higher education and research institutions, and non-governmental organisations. Applicants must demonstrate the operational capacity, relevant expertise, networks and dedicated teams required to deliver the programme, as well as a feasible financial sustainability model.
The total funding available is up to €1,556,000 for the 2027–2028 period, with maximum funding of €120,000 per application for Module 2 (Grow) and €116,000 for Module 3 (Advance). Applicants are also expected to secure external financial contributions of at least €10,000 in 2027 and €15,000 in 2028, allocated to participant prize grants, as part of the programme's transition towards long-term financial sustainability.
The selected organisations will implement the programme from February 2027 to December 2028, contributing to the growth of women-led agrifood businesses and a more inclusive and connected agrifood innovation ecosystem.
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