Applications for the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) 2025 Programme are now open!

Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) programme aims to provide comprehensive support to women in their early-stage entrepreneurial path in discovering their potential, providing them with appropriate knowledge and access to a wide network of contacts so that they can successfully set up and develop a sustainable business in the agrifood industry. During the programme, EWA participants (Mentees) take part in dedicated trainings, workshops and events, while developing ideas under the individual supervision of a professional mentor.

What are the benefits?

• 6 months of ongoing support
• 1:1 personalised mentoring
• online and offline trainings on specific business topics
• access to a network of investors, industry experts, and corporates
• financial support of up to 1,000 EUR gross for each Mentee
• chance to win up to 10,000 EUR (final grant) for further development of the idea
• Visibility Pack for up to 1,000 EUR for one selected Mentee per country to pitch their business idea at an international event.
• participation in the programme is completely free of charge

The programme is available to women over the age of 18, with no upper age limit. The programme is designed for women with either a business idea or an early-stage business. If you are already operating a business, it should have been legally registered for no more than three years, and any prior funding should not exceed EUR 60,000.

How to apply?

To submit your application, visit the F6S application platform and complete the online form in your local language. Use the links below to apply for the specific country:

• Estonia: Apply to EWA 2025 - Eesti | F6S
• North Macedonia: Apply to EWA 2025 - Северна Македонија | F6S
• Poland: Apply to EWA 2025 - Polska | F6S
• Romania: Apply to EWA 2025 - Romania | F6S
• Serbia: Apply to EWA 2025 - Srbija | F6S
• Slovenia:Apply to EWA 2025 - Slovenija | F6S
• Ukraine: Apply to EWA 2025 - Україна | F6S
• Portugal: Apply to EWA 2025 - Portugal | F6S
• Spain: Apply to EWA 2025 - España | F6S
• Italy: Apply to EWA 2025 - Italia | F6S
• Turkey: Apply to EWA 2025 - Türkiye | F6S
• Greece: Apply to EWA 2025 - Ελλάδα | F6S
• Albania: Apply to EWA 2025 - Shqipëri | F6S

The deadline for applications is May 25th at 11:59 pm.

EWA programme supports ideas directly related to innovative activities and solutions for the agrifood sector that respond to the challenges currently faced by local markets. The biggest interest EIT Food puts on 3 missions, which are healthier lives through food, a net zero food system, and reducing risk for a fair and resilient food system. Examples of ideas that appeared in the previous edition of the programme can be found on the EIT Food website: from Spain, from Italy, from Portugal, from Greece, from Türkiye, from Bulgaria, from Croatia, from Ukraine, from Czech Republic, from Hungary, from Latvia and Lithuania.

Learn more about EIT Food’s Missions here.

EWA programme will be conducted in local languages for 6 months supporting 130 female participant Albania, Estonia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye and Ukraine (10 women per country). The programme will be managed by respective Co-Location Centres – South (“EIT Food CLC South”) and North-East (“EIT Food CLC NE”) - in cooperation with local organisations (“Organisations”) specializing in boosting female entrepreneurship.

Read the results of the evaluation process for the Implementing Participants of the Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) Programme 2025 in the CEE region here.