In order to be eligible, the applicants must:

1. be a woman[1];
2. apply as a natural person[2] ;
3. be legally residing[3] in an EU Member State, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe;[4]
4. be the founder or co-founder[5] of the company or organisation;[6]
5. the company or organisation must be established in an EU Member State including overseas countries and territories, (OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe[7], and registered or incorporated[8] at least one year before the call year;[9]
6. applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.

Applicants to the EIC Rising Innovators category must be aged under 35 at the start of the call year.[10]

There is no age limit to apply for the EIC Women Innovators category.

Applicants to the EIT category must have a direct link to the EIT Community.[11]Applicants are expected to provide proof of eligibility upon request.

Applicants eligible for several prize categories can only apply to one. In the case of applications submitted under multiple categories, only the latest application will be considered, and all other applications will be rejected as ineligible.

Joint applications by a group of applicants are not accepted and will be rejected as ineligible. Applicants from the same organisation must apply separately.

Applicants must register in the Participant Register — before the call deadline — and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, you will be requested to upload documents showing legal status (please make sure to select ‘natural person’) and origin.

^[1] This prize celebrates women in all their diversity. The word 'woman' equates to a cis woman, or a transgender woman who is legally defined as a woman.

^[2] The applicant must apply only as a natural person and not as a legal entity. They must apply with a specific PIC (participant identification code) created for them as a natural person (see section 11). Applications submitted by a legal entity (with the PIC of the legal entity) will be considered ineligible.

^[3] A natural person is legally residing in a given country, if she is recognised as a resident under national law in that country, and proof of such recognition can be provided upon request.

[4]https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf

^[5] A co-founder is somebody who has started the company (i.e. "founded" the company) with at least one other person, and proof of this can be provided upon request.

[6] Self-employment is not acceptable.

[7] See footnote 11

^[8] The company or organisation is formed and registered with the appropriate statutory authority of the country as a 'company or corporation', and proof can be provided upon request.

[9] The company must be registered or incorporated before 1 January 2025.

^[10] Those applying for the Rising Innovator category must be born on or after 1 January 1991.

[11] 'EIT Community’ means the EIT and the active community of individuals and legal entities which benefited or benefit from the EIT support or financial contribution (in line with Article 2(8) of the EIT Regulation), e.g. support through an innovation or business acceleration procedure of any of the EIT KICs, or successful completion of an EIT Labelled Educational Programme. For the direct link to the EIT Community, applicants are expected to provide a supporting document, such as a certificate from an EIT KIC indicating the EIT support, a signed agreement for the financial support received from an EIT KIC, or a diploma / certificate regarding the successfully completed EIT Labelled Educational Programme.