Fixing Europe’s gender gap in innovation: from policy to impact

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s take stock: where do we stand when it comes to women in STEM? And what is Europe doing to move the needle?

Increasing the number of women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) should be everyone’s priority. Not only because it is a matter of fairness, or because it would help avoid issues such as female dummies not being included in car crash tests, or voice assistants recognising women less accurately than (white) men — as if these reasons were not good enough already.

But, also, because research shows that gender-diverse teams generate more novel and higher-impact scientific ideas, and because stronger inclusion of women in STEM can create cascading economic benefits for society as a whole.

And while we know these facts in theory, the road to implementing meaningful change is still long. This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science is about shifting the focus from general principles to “showcasing existing good practices and solutions” for building more inclusive STEM ecosystems.

So, how is the EU doing when it comes to women in Research & Innovation (R&I)? And what is the experience of European women working in tech?

Fixing gender imbalance in European R&I

Research leaves no space for doubt: gender equality in all fields benefits not just women, but everybody.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, increasing gender equality in Europe would support economic growth, leading to an increase in the GDP per capita (that is, our very own salaries) of up to 9.6% by 2050, which amounts to up to €3.15 trillion in total. Closing the gender gap in STEM employment and education, more specifically, would contribute to an increase in the EU GDP per capita of up to 3.0% in 2050, while up to 1,200,000 more jobs would be created (for all genders).

According to SheFigures 2024, which gathers Europe-wide statistics on gender equality in R&I, education is not faring any better: at PhD-level, women are underrepresented in fields such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineering, Manufacturing, and Construction – and the situation worsens moving to higher academic positions. According to data collected in a recent Commission report, women in academia also work with more precarious contracts and lower salaries. Moreover, despite a relatively small difference in success while accessing research funding, only 9% of patent applicants between 2018 and 2021 were women.

Despite negative trends elsewhere, the European Union says it prioritises gender equality in Europe: in its Roadmap for Women’s Rights, the European Commission stresses that “advancing women’s rights is not just a moral imperative but a strategic investment in the EU’s economic growth and competitiveness”. Which in turn, is a strategic imperative for this year’s EU innovation policy: we covered this topic in our previous newsletter. The Roadmap, which sets out key gender equality priorities, will be complemented by the Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, which is planned for adoption in March and will put forward more specific policy initiatives.

Gender representation is also a priority of the European Research Area (ERA), which aims to create a single market for research, innovation, and technology. The ERA identifies ways to advance gender equality, including adopting Gender Equality Plans in funded organisations, guidelines for including intersectionality, the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content, actions against gender-based violence, and gender-responsive budgeting. These are pursued mainly through the Horizon Europe WIDERA Work Programme 2026-2027, which sets out dedicated actions and funding to promote them.

Moreover, the Commission has recently announced it will put forward an action plan for women in research, innovation, and startups to promote diversity, equality, and inclusiveness in the ERA. A related public consultation is currently open until the 23rd of February.

Gender equality is also a general principle in Horizon Europe more broadly, and it is implemented through targeted measures; for instance, having a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is a funding eligibility criterion for certain categories of organisations, and integrating a gender dimension into R&I content is a requirement by default when applying for funding. The programme also sets a 50% target for women in boards, expert groups, and evaluation committees, and promotes stronger gender balance among researchers more broadly. Where proposals receive the same score, the gender balance of researchers in leading roles can be used as a tie-break (ranking) criterion.

Across Horizon Europe, dedicated calls support research and solutions on issues such as sex- and gender-specific health, gender bias in emerging technologies (including AI), preventing and tackling gender-based and domestic violence, and measures to advance a more gender-equal society – such as directly supporting the inclusion of women in scientific and technical sectors.

Going beyond principles and policies, these actions are one concrete step in the right direction when it comes to practical implementation.

Not just numbers: tech gender equality in action

One sector where gender equality is a particularly pressing issue is deep tech, where the number of women-led startups is increasing but still limited: a 2024 study revealed that less than 25% of deep tech startups had a woman in the founding team, and the percentage of total funding going to deep tech startups with women founders stood at only 11.4%.

EPIC-X, an EU-funded Horizon Europe project in which SERN is a partner, is one example of how this gap is being addressed: it supports 20 women-led deep-tech startups with tailored coaching and mentoring, investor-readiness support, and access to key industry and funding networks to accelerate their growth and impact.

Research conducted within the project revealed that women in deep tech often encounter systemic and cultural barriers—ranging from limited access to funding to gender biases in investment decisions. Women are expected to “prove themselves” more frequently than their male counterparts, particularly in technical fields where male dominance remains the norm.

Some women founders reported to Enterprise Evolution, part of the EPIC-X consortium, that they were advised to let a male colleague do the pitching in front of investors to increase their funding chances, or that they were questioned on their knowledge and expertise more than their male counterparts. In the long term, these experiences risk undermining women’s confidence and role.

There are still diffused stereotypes and cultural and structural barriers across the tech sector: “Mentoring, strong networks, and visibility for successful women leaders are key in breaking down these barriers,” says Monika Borowiecka, Managing Partner at Tangent Line VC, a fund dedicated to supporting the investment activities of Polish entrepreneurs.

Keeping the conversation going

Europe can’t afford to leave women innovators on the sidelines. Initiatives like EPIC-X help lay the ground for more women to lead Europe’s next wave of deep-tech innovation — and to unlock talent that is still too often overlooked.

Project-based funding is an important step in the right direction: it channels resources toward specific gaps and translates high-level principles into practical action. At the same time, culture, policies, and venture capital markets need to be guided by a clear reality: when women are fully included in STEM, innovation improves. That’s why this conversation can’t be a once-a-year moment — it deserves continued attention.