Cartier Women’s Initiative 2026 Science & Technology Pioneer Awards

Grant Overview

Drive Transformative Change with Cartier’s Prestigious Thematic Award for Visionary Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology

Donor: Cartier

About: The Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) proudly champions deep innovation through its Science & Technology Pioneer Award, a distinguished thematic category within its globally acclaimed annual international entrepreneurship program. Introduced in 2021, this specific award is dedicated to identifying, celebrating, and propelling women impact entrepreneurs who are spearheading disruptive solutions rooted in unique, protectable, or hard-to-replicate scientific and technological advancements. If your enterprise is pioneering breakthroughs in areas such as biotechnology, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, sustainable agriculture, or other deep research fields, this award presents an unparalleled platform for accelerated growth, significant funding, and international recognition. Navigating the grant research landscape for high-tech ventures can be particularly challenging, and CWI offers a focused and prestigious opportunity for women innovators.

This thematic award is intentionally designed for women entrepreneurs hailing from any country and any sector, whose businesses are fundamentally built upon the development of novel technologies, intricate engineering processes, or significant scientific discoveries, rather than relying solely on a disruptive business model.  The Cartier Women’s Initiative, established in 2006, maintains an unwavering commitment to empowering women who lead and own enterprises dedicated to creating a robust, sustainable, and positive social and/or environmental impact.  The Science & Technology Pioneer Award powerfully underscores this dedication by specifically fostering innovations that possess the potential to address critical global challenges.  For those seeking specialized grants for startups operating at the intersection of science, technology, and impact, this award provides not just financial capital but a comprehensive ecosystem of invaluable support.

Championing Deep Tech, Scientific Breakthroughs, and Global Solutions

The Science & Technology Pioneer Award explicitly acknowledges that deep tech and science-based ventures often face unique hurdles, including substantial and prolonged research and development phases, extended commercialization timelines, high capital intensity, and inherent technological risks. This award is structured to provide crucial, targeted support to help women entrepreneurs navigate these complex challenges successfully. Selected fellows gain access to considerable financial grants, extensive human capital support—which includes specialized training programs and personalized coaching—and significant social capital, amplified through global media visibility and strategic networking opportunities. Developing a compelling and fundable business plan development strategy is absolutely paramount for such sophisticated ventures, and the CWI program offers expert resources and mentorship to refine these critical documents. The initiative is dedicated to cultivating a community of visionary leaders who are not only innovating at the cutting edge but are also committed to creating measurable, positive change aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prospective applicants for the Science & Technology Pioneer Award must be women founders or co-founders who are leading for-profit, impact-driven businesses. The core of the business must be its scientific or technological innovation, and it should clearly demonstrate the potential for significant, positive disruption and impact within its industry or field. While the general eligibility criteria share common ground with the CWI Regional Awards—such as being an early-stage (typically 1-6 years of operation), revenue-generating company that has not raised more than $2 million USD in dilutive funding—the fundamental differentiator for this thematic award is the venture’s core reliance on profound, defensible scientific or technological innovation. Understanding the specific nuances of grants for women in deep tech is vital, and CWI provides a clear and supportive framework for these pioneering entrepreneurs.

Application Process and Comprehensive Support Ecosystem

The application for the 2026 Science & Technology Pioneer Award is managed entirely online via the Submittable platform, sharing the same application window and deadline as the Regional Awards. It is of utmost importance for applicants to lucidly and persuasively articulate the innovative nature of their underlying technology or scientific approach, its defensibility, and its substantial potential for creating scalable impact. The Cartier Women’s Initiative offers detailed guidelines, eligibility checklists, and comprehensive FAQs to proactively support applicants throughout this demanding process. This award represents a unique and highly coveted opportunity for women leading deep tech ventures to gain access to a prestigious global platform and a suite of resources that are often only discovered through extensive and time-consuming independent research efforts.

Successful fellows selected for the Science & Technology Pioneer Award are welcomed into a comprehensive and transformative support package. This includes a significant financial grant, with the first-place awardee receiving US$ 100,000, alongside participation in the esteemed INSEAD Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Program, dedicated executive leadership coaching, specialized media training, and invaluable lifelong membership in the CWI global community of influential leaders and peers. This holistic, wrap-around approach ensures that these visionary entrepreneurs are thoroughly equipped with the tools, knowledge, and network needed to scale their groundbreaking innovations and lead their ventures to enduring success and global impact. Grantaura is deeply committed to championing innovators who are shaping the future. Our expert team possesses specialized experience in grant writing and the strategic preparation of technical and financial documents, enabling us to help you present your pioneering work with maximum effectiveness and significantly enhance your prospects for securing prestigious and transformative opportunities such as the Cartier Women’s Initiative Science & Technology Pioneer Award.

Focus: Science, Technology, Deep Tech, Engineering, Scientific Discovery, Innovation, Women Entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Environmental Impact, For-profit businesses, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Solutions, Biotechnology, AI, Advanced Materials

Region: Global (Thematic award open to applicants from any country meeting the S&T criteria)

Eligibility:
– Business must be a for-profit entity.
– Business must be impact-driven, contributing to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
– Must be women-owned and/or women-led, with the applicant being a woman founder or co-founder holding a main leadership position.
– The core of the business must be based on the development of a new technology, a complex engineering process, or a significant scientific discovery (not solely on a disruptive business model).
— The development of this core technology/product (from idea/TRL 1 to commercialization/TRL 9) should typically take at least 2 years.
– Business must be in its early stages of development, incorporated between June 2019 and June 2024 (for the 2026 awards).
– Must have been generating revenue from the sale of its products or services for at least one year (since at least June 2024 for the 2026 awards).
– Business must not have raised more than $2 million USD in dilutive funding at the time of application.
– The business must be majority-owned by its founders and team, and the applying woman should either be the largest shareholder or hold equity equal to or greater than any other co-founder.
– Applicant must be at least 18 years of age on the day of the application deadline.
– A good command of the English language (B2 level or higher on the Common European Framework of Reference) is required.
– Must demonstrate commitment to participate fully in the 12-month fellowship program (January to December 2026), typically requiring 1-3 hours per week, including participation in in-person events and potentially on-site filming.
– Only one application per business is permitted per year. Businesses submitting applications to multiple CWI award categories or multiple applications from different founders for the same business will be disqualified.
– Sole proprietorships are ineligible for the Science & Technology Pioneer Award.

Benefits:
– Financial Capital Support: (Three fellows typically selected for this thematic award, with a prize structure similar to regional awards)
— US$ 100,000 grant for the first-place awardee.
— US$ 60,000 grant for the second-place awardee.
— US$ 30,000 grant for the third-place awardee.
– Human Capital Support:
— Tailored fellowship program including a combination of 1:1 business training and collective workshops.
— Specialized leadership communications and media training workshops.
— Participation in the prestigious in-person INSEAD Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Program.
— Dedicated 1:1 executive leadership coaching.
– Social Capital Support:
— Significant international exposure and enhanced media visibility.
— Direct support and mentorship from jury members throughout the fellowship period.
— Lifelong access to a vibrant and active global community of over 500 fellows and supporters.
— Continuous ongoing support for the development and scaling of the fellows’ impact businesses.

Deadline: June, 24, 2025 (2 PM CEST)

Terms:
– CWI: Cartier Women’s Initiative – The official name of the annual international entrepreneurship program by Cartier.
– Science & Technology Pioneer Award: A specific thematic award within the CWI program, recognizing women impact entrepreneurs whose businesses are founded on significant, disruptive, and often protectable technological or scientific advances.
– Deep Tech: Refers to companies typically founded on a substantial scientific discovery or a significant engineering innovation, often characterized by long R&D cycles and high capital needs.
– TRL: Technology Readiness Level – A systematic measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technology, ranging from initial idea (TRL 1) to a fully commercialized product (TRL 9).
– Impact Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur who establishes and leads a business with the core mission of generating measurable positive social and/or environmental impact, alongside financial returns.
– SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals – The 17 interlinked global goals established by the United Nations to address pressing global challenges by 2030.
– For-profit Enterprise: A business entity structured to generate profit for its owners, as distinct from non-profit organizations. CWI awards are exclusively for for-profit businesses.
– Dilutive Funding: Capital investment that results in a reduction of the existing shareholders’ ownership percentage in the company, often through the issuance of new equity. CWI specifies a maximum limit for such funding for eligibility.
– CEST: Central European Summer Time – The designated time zone for the application submission deadline.
– Submittable: The online third-party platform used by the Cartier Women’s Initiative for the collection and management of award applications.
– INSEAD: A leading international graduate business school that partners with CWI to provide executive education and specialized workshops for the awarded fellows.
– Innovation: The practical implementation of new ideas, methods, or technologies that result in the introduction of new or improved products, services, processes, or business models, creating value.