Women Entrepreneurship Platform
WEP
WEP is actively working to advocate for, support, and raise the profile of women entrepreneurs in the EU and beyond.
ID: 198653998023-82
Lobbying Activity
Response to Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030
4 Aug 2025
STEM-powering Women: Unlocking Access to Finance and Innovation The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) recognizes that empowering women through the development of entrepreneurial competencies, in addition to the improvement of access to finance and the development of innovation capacities in STEM fields, are the best ways: to foster their personal and professional development to increase economic growth at the family and regional level to promote technological advancement, and sustainable development to contribute to gender equality and national socio-economic development. We believe that by breaking down barriers and creating equitable opportunities for women in these fields, we can unlock powerful forces for positive change world-wide. The European Commission, through the revised European Gender Equality Strategy, is urged to act on the following: Goals and Targets Increase women´s programs to develop entrepreneurial competencies, that allow a 50% increase within the next 10 years in women's participation in STEM research and development in STEM-based enterprises Double the number of women-led technology startups receiving start-up investment and venture capital funding by 2030. Ensure structural support for womens entrepreneurial endeavors world-wide by enabling programs to help access to training, microfinance, and mentoring. Ensure that at least 30% of patents and intellectual property rights are owned by women inventors by 2040. Eliminate the gender gap in STEM entrepreneurship, though annual increases of at least 2,5% by 2050. In monetary terms, closing the STEM gap leads to an improvement in GDP by 610 - 820 billion by 2050. Develop entrepreneurial ecosystems specifically oriented to women entrepreneurs. We urge the European Commission to: 1. Invest in Women-Led STEM Innovation Programs o Research Grants: Prioritize research grants and funding for women-led research projects in STEM fields. This includes setting quotas for projects, research topics and teams. Ensure that funds are equally distributed, and that projects are gender-mainstreamed from the concept to conclusion. National governments should work with institutions, the private sector and NGOs to ensure that public funding is tied to increased training and commercialization exposure for female students, thereby increasing the number of women patentees. The establishment of a commercialization authority could help institutions support women-led faculty innovations, and special funding could be targeted to these groups to bridge the current gaps which would also help to alleviate the funding pressure in crowded sectors and provide capital in the less crowded sectors for new businesses. o Innovation Hubs: Establish dedicated innovation hubs and accelerators specifically for women-led STEM startups. This must include Entrepreneurial Competence Centers dedicated to empowering women in STEM entrepreneurship supporting their integration, financial independence, and active participation in the local economy and society. These Hubs and Centers would create supportive and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems which is essential to attracting and retaining female STEM talent. o Mentorship & Networking: Provide mentorship and networking opportunities for women innovators with experienced entrepreneurs and investors. Many women entrepreneurship NGO organizations worldwide are at the front-line supporting women start-ups, but these groups are mostly volunteer-led and struggling to survive. Develop and implement specific programs that these groups could deliver to support women entrepreneurs which could also help to ensure the organizations viability in the longer term. Please see the attached document which sets out in greater detail the content of our submission. We are available at any time to discuss in more detail and thank the Commission for giving us this opportunity to respond.
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