The nine finalists for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators have been announced today. The European Prize for Women Innovators is jointly awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). Through this collaboration, the EIT and EIC are showcasing a large pool of women innovators, offering more opportunities for trailblazers, and providing inspiring role models for women and girls everywhere.
As the competition reaches its final stage, anticipation builds to see which of the finalists will rise to the top. The winners of the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators will be revealed at the EIC Summit on 3 April 2025.
The finalists competed in three categories:
- Women Innovators: Open to women founders and co-founders across the EU and Associated Countries. The winner will receive €100 000, and two runners-up will receive €70 000 and €50 000, respectively.
- Rising Innovators: For promising young women innovators under the age of 35. The winner will receive €50 000, and two runners-up will receive €30 000 and €20 000, respectively.
- EIT Women Leadership: For exceptional members of the EIT Community. The winner will receive €50 000, and two runners-up will receive €30 000 and €20 000, respectively.
Eligible applications have been evaluated on three criteria: breakthrough innovation, where the applicant’s company leads disruptive advancements in deep-tech and STEM fields within the EU or Horizon Europe-associated countries; impact, as the innovation addresses significant challenges with benefits for people and the planet; and inspiration, with the applicant serving as a pivotal leader and role model, empowering women and girls.
Meet the Finalists:
In the Rising Innovators Category:
- Camille Bouget (France), co-founder of Scienta Lab, an AI-powered platform developed to address the therapeutic needs of immuno-inflammatory diseases.
- Claudine Adeyemi-Adams (United Kingdom), founder of Earlybird, an AI-powered platform that enhances employment support by engaging participants in voice-powered conversations, providing advisors with insights and recommendations to deliver more personalized assistance.
- Héloïse Mailhac (France), co-founder of STH BIOTECH, a company that has developed SATIVITRO®, an in vitro bio-production platform that enhances the yield and accessibility of rare cannabinoids for pharmaceutical research through controlled bioreactor cultivation.
In the Women Innovators Category:
- Agnès Arbat (Spain), co-founder of Oxolife, a company developing innovative drugs to enhance fertility, with a focus on improving embryo implantation and simplifying infertility treatments.
- Fanny Bardé (France), founder of SOLiTHOR, that develops next-generation solid-state batteries using a non-flammable, environmentally-friendly solid electrolyte.
- Rhona Togher (Ireland), co-founder with Eimear O’Carroll of Lios, a company that has developed SoundBounce, a smart acoustic material that offers up to 4x more effective noise reduction in less space, being 40% lighter and 4 times thinner, with versatile applications across industries like construction, automotive, aerospace, and home appliances.
In the EIT Women Leadership Category:
- Débora Andreia Campelo Campos (Portugal), Founder and CEO of AgroGrin Tech, which developed an innovative and eco-friendly process to transform the industrial fruit waste into functional food ingredients.
- Elizabeth McGloughlin (Ireland), Co-Founder and CEO of Tympany Medical, whose variable angle endoscopy technology improves patient and healthcare system outcomes.
- Olesja Bondarenko (Estonia), Co-Founder and CEO of Nanordica Medical, which develops nanotechnology-based wound care products that help prevent infections and promote wound healing.