Women TechEU partners meet in Pamplona to align on the next phase of the programme
Two days, one clear focus: how to make Women TechEU work even better for the start-ups at its centre. As one of the consortium partners, InnoStars joined the meeting in Pamplona to review progress, align on priorities and help shape the work ahead.
On 9-10 September, the Women TechEU consortium met in Pamplona for its first in-person consortium meeting, hosted by project coordinator Sploro. InnoStars joined partners from across Europe to review progress, discuss the work ahead and align on priorities for the coming months.
Women TechEU is a two-year EU-funded project supporting women leading deep-tech start-ups across Europe, helping them grow their companies and develop into tomorrow’s technology leaders. The Pamplona meeting was a chance to move beyond online calls and bring the consortium together around a shared question: what is working, what needs more attention and how can partners make the programme as useful as possible for the founders it supports?
Reviewing progress and planning what comes next
The first day began with a review of the project as a whole, including milestones, deliverables, KPIs and reporting. Partners also discussed the project management and quality framework that guides the work across the consortium.
Communication, dissemination and sustainability were another important part of the discussion. The consortium looked at progress so far, the role of high-impact events and how partners can work together to strengthen the programme’s reach, particularly in countries where engagement still needs to grow. From there, the conversation moved closer to the practical support offered to start-ups
Sessions on start-up support and service implementation covered timelines, responsibilities and the different activities being delivered across the programme. Partners also reviewed the open calls, including progress, statistics and the next steps in the selection process. The day closed with time to review key action points and responsibilities, followed by a consortium dinner. Beyond the formal agenda, meeting in person gave partners space to continue conversations, exchange perspectives and build stronger working relationships.
Supporting founders beyond the programme
The second day looked more closely at how Women TechEU can help participating companies prepare for their next stage of growth. A dedicated session on paving the way to the EIC Accelerator covered opportunities including the EIC Fast Track, EIC Business Acceleration Services and the EIC Pre-Accelerator.
Partners also discussed corporate and investor events and explored the PartnerHub as another way to connect founders with relevant opportunities. The programme then returned to start-up support, high-impact events and partner involvement in the evaluation process. The meeting ended with a discussion around a simple but important question: what do we do for the start-ups?
The consortium brings together organisations with different expertise, networks and roles, but the purpose of that collaboration is shared: to give women leading deep-tech companies access to the support, connections and opportunities that can help them grow.
Working together across Europe
As one of the Women TechEU consortium partners, InnoStars took part in the two-day meeting and the discussions shaping the next phase of the programme.
For a European project involving many organisations and different areas of work, meetings like this are also a practical way to see how the pieces fit together. They create space to compare progress, solve issues directly and make sure that work carried out by individual partners contributes to the same overall goal. The Pamplona meeting ended with clearer priorities and responsibilities for the months ahead. Now the focus moves back to implementation and, most importantly, to the women-led deep-tech start-ups at the heart of Women TechEU.
The consortium has reviewed where the programme stands. The next step is turning those discussions into support that founders can actually use.
Interested in Women TechEU?
Learn more about the project and explore the current open calls for women-led deep-tech start-ups at womentecheurope.eu