EIT Food Innovation Prize 2025: Celebrating Europe’s Brightest Innovators
About the Innovation Prize
We, our partners and start-ups have continuously invested in innovation, bringing numerous products and services to market. With the Innovation Prize, we want to reward the success of our community of innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and start-ups, and recognise the impact they make in shaping the future of food.
The EIT Food Innovation Prize 2025 celebrates not only the groundbreaking solutions themslves but also the people and teams who make them possible.
Seven prizes of 10.000€ each will be given to the winners recognising excellence, impact, and leadership in agri-food innovation. Beyond the funding, winners will gain visibility on EIT Food’s global channels, media exposure, and opportunities to present at high-profile events.
Why Apply?
- Win a unique 10.000€ prize that celebrates you and your innovation.
- Be recognised as one of the most inspiring innovators in EIT Food’s ecosystem.
- Boost your visibility as a leader through EIT Food’s global channels, media exposure, and events.
- This year, all eligible applicants can choose to have their innovation featured on the EIT Food website. This ensures that every applicant, regardless of the outcome, receives recognition and visibility for their work and launch.
Evaluation Criteria
Applicants will be evaluated against four key criteria:
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Novelty : How original, innovative, and differentiated the solution is within the agri-food sector.
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Impact : The measurable social, environmental, or economic benefits the innovation delivers.
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Commercial traction / potential : Evidence of market success, customer adoption, or strong growth potential.
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Leadership & Resilience : The ability of the entrepreneur or team to lead, adapt, and overcome challenges.
Prize Categories
- Market Excellence Innovator: Celebrating leaders who have built strong commercial success and market leadership.
- Rising Innovator Award: Celebrating early-stage entrepreneurs showing exceptional potential.
- Student Innovator Award: Celebrating students and recent graduates turning learning into actions.
- Impact Innovator Award: Celebrating innovators delivering measurable social or environmental impact.
- Global Reach Innovator: Celebrating innovators that have successfully scaled internationally.
- Tech Pioneer Award: Celebrating visionaries using breakthrough technologies to solve food challenges.
- Woman in Innovation Award: Celebrating outstanding women leaders driving change and inspiring the next generation.
Eligibility
The prize is open to organisations that:
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Have received support from an EIT Food project or programme (2022–2025).
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Have developed a product or service that has reached the market.
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Are legally incorporated in an EU or Horizon Europe eligible country.
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Can provide documented proof of sales of at least €10,000.
⚠️ Applicants may only apply to one category. Entities that entered the 2022 or 2024 Marketed Innovation Prize are not eligible.
Timeline
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October 9th 2025
Applications Open
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November 17th 2025 23:59 CET
Applications Close
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First week of December
Winners Announced
