The EWI Regional Innovation Fund, part of the regional project Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of the Western Balkans (EWI), is now inviting women-led teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia to apply for funding and support for their innovative solutions.
The Fund is looking for teams with an already validated innovation, not an early-stage idea, that makes a clear, measurable contribution to women’s economic inclusion.
Eligible innovations span a wide range of areas, including digital solutions that improve women’s access to markets, finance, or employment; green and ecological innovations, including circular economy models; and new business, financial, or employment models that open economic opportunities for women. Innovations with strong potential for scaling and replication across communities or countries will be considered an advantage.
Selected teams will go through a phased, competitive process. Around six to eight teams will be invited into a four-week online Mentorship and Accelerator Programme, designed to strengthen their innovation and prepare it for the final funding stage. Teams that complete the programme will submit a Final Application and compete for a place among up to five finalists at the EWI Regional Innovation Pitching Event.
In total, 54 000 EUR is available for direct financial support, with up to 27 000 EUR per innovation for two to three selected teams.
How to apply:
Before applying, please carefully read the full Call for Expressions of Interest: which provides all necessary information and detail guidelines for eligibility and applying.
Interested teams should complete Expression of Interest Form and submit it together with all required supporting documentation, including Annex 1 – Indicative Budget and Annex 2 – Risk Assessment. The remaining mandatory documents (CVs, proof of registration, and signed statements) do not follow a fixed template — prepare them in free form and include them as well.
Complete all text answers directly in this document, then save/export it as a PDF. Combine that PDF together with Annex 1 – Budget, Annex 2 – Risk Assessment, and the remaining mandatory and optional documents into a single ZIP/compressed file.
Upload the ZIP/compressed file to wetransfer.com (free, no account required) and send it directly to ewi.balkans@care.de using WeTransfer’s email option.
In the message field, write: Expression of Interest for EWI Regional Innovation Fund – [Name of Innovation / Team].
Application deadline: 1st October 2026, 23:00 CET.
Questions about the Call can be sent to ewi.balkans@care.de by 20 September 2026. Online info session is scheduled on 22 September 2026 at 14:00. All interested applicants are invited.
You can join the session by clicking here.
The EWI Regional Innovation Fund is established within the project Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of the Western Balkans – EWI, implemented by CARE Balkans, together with local partners: LINK in BiH, ENECA in Serbia, Tehnopolis in Montenegro and Strategic Development Consulting in North Macedonia, within the framework of the International Partnerships Austria with the support of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
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