EIT Food, Europe’s leading initiative for food innovation, announced the official opening of the applications for the 2026 edition of Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA). The programme, which aims to close the gender gap in the agrifood sector, focuses this year on the “Grow” module, an acceleration pathway dedicated to women entrepreneurs with innovative ideas or early-stage start-ups.
In Italy, the programme is implemented by the Future Food Institute, acting as the local partner for scouting, training, and coordination of activities across the country. Aspiring entrepreneurs have until May 11, 2026 to submit their applications.
The consortium is composed of more than 100 organizations, including key industries, leading companies in the sector, start-ups, research centers, and universities from 16 EU Member States. The South Europe headquarters is based in Spain (Madrid and Bilbao) and collaborates with partners such as: Acesur, AIA, Angulas Aguinaga, AZTI, Caviro, National Research Council (CNR), CSIC, AN Group, Granarolo, Hub Innovazione Trentino, Inalca, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Mondragon Corporation, PeakBridge, Strauss, Technion, UAM, UNITO, the University of Bologna, and the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research.
Closing the gender gap
Despite women representing more than half of the EU population, their presence in leadership roles in the primary sector remains limited: according to Eurostat data, only 28% of agricultural business leaders in the European Union are women.
EWA was created to reverse this trend by providing women with the skills and confidence needed to lead change towards a more sustainable and fair food system. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has successfully supported over 450 women entrepreneurs across 17 countries.
The EWA Grow 2026 programme in Italy will select 10 participants and will be run from May to November, including:
- individual mentoring: 1-to-1 sessions with industry experts for six months;
- tailored training: workshops on business models, financial management, intellectual property, and leadership;
- access to the network: participation in masterclasses and matchmaking events within the agrifood tech ecosystem;
- final Demo Day: a competition where the best projects will compete for prizes of €10,000 and €5,000 to support business development.
Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute, highlighted the importance of the initiative: "With Empowering Women in Agrifood, we place at the center the women who are leading the regeneration of the sector, bringing innovation, sustainability, and positive change for the future."
Requirements and application process
The call is open to individuals who identify as women, are residents in Italy, and have either a solid business idea or a company established within the last 3 years in the agrifood sector, with funding received below €60,000. Projects must align with EIT Food's missions, with particular focus on areas such as resilient agriculture, biotechnology, and protein diversification.
Applications must be submitted free of charge by midnight of May 11, 2026 through the EIT Food platform by registering and following the instructions at the dedicated webpage.
