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Category: Events

Mantra at the Women TechEU Final Event in Brussels

Mantra at the Women TechEU Final Event in Brussels On 4 March 2026, the final event of the Women TechEU programme took place in Brussels, bringing together innovators, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs to celebrate the achievements of women-led deep tech startups across Europe. The event marked an important milestone for the initiative, highlighting the impact of targeted support for women entrepreneurs in the deep tech ecosystem. Angelica Marsico from EIT Manufacturing South and Maria Ferentinou from Greenovate! Europe, Mantra Consortium Partners The event opened with a welcome address by Angele Giuliano, Dissemination and Communication Leader of the programme, followed by a recorded message from Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, underlining the importance of empowering women innovators and strengthening Europe’s innovation landscape. Celebrating the Impact of Women TechEU During the event, Teresa Hernández Martín, the project coordinator, presented an overview of the programme and its results. Over the course of the initiative, Women TechEU supported 160 women-led deep tech startups, working alongside a strong ecosystem of partners, mentors, evaluators, and allies. The programme demonstrated remarkable impact: across its three cohorts, supported companies raised more than €53.8 million in funding, representing a sixfold multiplier effect compared to the programme’s initial €9 million investment. The agenda featured several panels and success story videos highlighting the journeys of entrepreneurs who benefited from the programme. Discussions explored topics such as the operational insights behind the initiative, the success stories of participating startups, and the broader challenges facing deep tech entrepreneurs. Policy Insights for the Future A key part of the event focused on the policy learnings derived from the Women TechEU programme. The consortium presented policy papers addressing important topics such as: The role of venture capital in advancing deep tech innovation in Europe The gender funding gap in the deep tech ecosystem Best practices for building effective support programmes for women-led startups These recommendations emphasise the need for stronger access to long-term capital, improved networks for women founders, and collaborative efforts between public institutions and private investors to build a more inclusive innovation ecosystem. Mantra at the exhibition of winning companies Alongside the conference sessions, the event included an exhibition showcasing innovative companies participating in the programme. The Mantra Project was present at the exhibition, engaging with startups and stakeholders working to advance deep tech innovation in Europe. During the exhibition, the Mantra team had the opportunity to connect with Perfi Technologies, an innovative SME that is also part of the Mantra Project’s Innovation Leaders Community. The meeting highlighted the importance of building strong connections between European innovation initiatives and emerging technology companies. Looking Ahead The event concluded with reflections on the future of Women TechEU, presented by Francesca Doria from EISMEA, followed by closing remarks from Cristina Russo, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. As the programme concludes, its results demonstrate the powerful impact that targeted support initiatives can have on the European innovation ecosystem. Women TechEU has not only supported groundbreaking startups but also contributed valuable insights for shaping future policies that foster inclusive and sustainable innovation. For the Mantra Project, participation in events like this reinforces the importance of collaboration across European initiatives and communities working to accelerate innovation and support the next generation of deep tech leaders.

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MANTRA participates in the ISM Conference in Malta

The MANTRA Project was represented at the International Conference on Industry of the Future and Smart Manufacturing (ISM) in Malta, on 13-14 November 2025, by Alessia Menduni, Business Development and Innovation Manager at EIT Manufacturing South . Alessia participated in the panel “Bridging the Research & Innovation Ecosystem”, where she shared EIT Manufacturing’s experience in supporting European Manufacturing SMEs.   EIT Manufacturing and the MANTRA Project played an active role in the discussions, underscoring the importance of innovation, education, and collaborative ecosystems in advancing Europe’s industrial transition. Their participation added valuable perspectives to an event that brings together experts, practitioners, and innovators to explore cutting-edge developments in smart manufacturing. As the Industry 4.0/5.0 landscape continues to evolve, the transformation of how we design, manufacture, and deliver products is accelerating. Digitalisation is driving significant productivity gains, altering long-standing business models, and redefining the competencies needed within today’s industrial workforce. The increased support from the Enterprice Europe Network for the MANTRA initiative this year fostered new avenues for cooperation, insightful knowledge exchange, and a more comprehensive look at the project’s purpose and contributions.    

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MANTRA’s General Assembly in Porto: Accelerating Green and Digital Transformation for Manufacturing SMEs

The MANTRA consortium gathered in Porto this week for the project’s General Assembly, hosted by INESC TECT. The meeting brought partners together to review the progress of the first year of the project, share insights, and align on the next steps to support the green and digital transformation of European manufacturing SMEs. Hosted in a highly collaborative atmosphere, the meeting focused on key developments within the project and on strengthening cooperation across work packages. Partners discussed the first learnings from MANTRA’s activities and explored how to maximise impact for SMEs across Europe in the coming months. A highlight of the agenda was a workshop of Enterprise Europe Network’s services by ENN Portugal advisor and INESC TEC researcher, Cristina Maria Barbosa, with a particular focus on possible collaborative activities between MANTRA and EEN. Her input sparked rich discussions on practical challenges, opportunities, and the type of support SMEs need most. Looking ahead, the consortium is now preparing for the next phase of MANTRA, during which the first 25 out of 50 manufacturing SMEs will be supported through tailored services, collaboration with tech-savvy SMEs, and access to funding for implementing their transformation roadmaps. As MANTRA enters its second year, the project is excited to start sharing initial results and success stories, and to continue empowering European manufacturing SMEs to drive green and digital transformation through advanced technologies and social innovation.        

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MANTRA Open Call: Supporting manufacturing SMEs in Digital and Green Transformation

The MANTRA project launches webinars in 6 languages to promote its open calls to support the digital and green transformation of manufacturing SMEs  The MANTRA project aims to drive the green and digital transformation of European manufacturing SMEs through the adoption of advanced technologies and social innovation. Through its open call, the MANTRA will directly support a group of 50 manufacturing SMEs in the form of financial support of €50,000 with a tailored process in which they learn and unlock their digital and technological potential within a sustainable business model, that ensures more resource-efficient and circular processes and infrastructures.  To explain all the details behind the open calls, including the opportunities and benefits that these present to manufacturing SMEs, the consortium will organise 6 webinars in 6 languages to reach a wide audience of SMEs across Europe. By showcasing success stories and providing tools and services tailored to SME needs, MANTRA seeks to inspire and empower more European manufacturing SMEs to embrace green practices and integrate advanced technologies. Join this movement and get ready to start your MANTRA journey to begin the transformation of your manufacturing SME by registering for the webinars:   Overview of webinars  In Romanian: Tuesday 3 June 10:00 CEST (11:00 local time). Registration form In Italian: Wednesday 4 June 11:30 CEST. Registration form In Portuguese: Wednesday 4 June 15:30 CEST (14:30 local time). Registration form In English: Thursday 5 June 10:30 CEST – Event part of the EU Green Week. Registration form In French: Friday 6 June 11:00 CEST. Registration form In Spanish: Friday 6 June 12:00 CEST. Registration form

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SECPhO is a cluster based on Spain that brings together more than 180 organisations that promote technological innovation through deep tech in all sectors of our economy. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Rina-C is a global network specializing in energy transition, ESG, and digitalisation, based in Italy. They are responsible for providing assessment and advisory services to the selected SMEs undergoing digital and technological transformation. This includes due diligence assessments, matchmaking tech-savvy and traditional SMEs, share best practices in co-creation labs, and offering tailored solutions and recommendations for practical implementation as part of the advisory services.

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Babele is a social enterprise based in Romania, that acts as a catalyst for systemic innovation, uniting a global network of universities, corporations, NGOs, and social entrepreneurs to co-create impactful solutions to address global issues such as climate change and poverty, while fostering resilience in the face of its effects. They are responsible for developing, building, and managing the digital platform for SME recruitment, overseeing the capacity-building and support program, and connecting innovation communities, EU networks, and SME support initiatives. The platform will function as a hub for knowledge exchange and a community of practice.

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Greenovate! Europe is a not-for-profit network of organisations dedicated to sustainable innovation. It develops sustainability projects and provides innovation support to researchers, companies and policymakers. The project partner based in Belgium, is responsible for the communication and dissemination activities of the MANTRA project. Their goal is to maximize the project’s impact by raising awareness, building a stakeholder community, and sharing open project results in a way that ensures they are actionable and exploitable by stakeholders.

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INES TEC is a research & development institute located on the campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, located in Portugal. They oversee the role of identifying the needs and barriers of SMEs to create the most favorable capacity-building support services. They will connect European specialised business support structures, networks, and organizations to build-up an innovative value-added support ecosystem for SMEs.

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EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe. They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe.
They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

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Cetim is a technological accelerator dedicated to industrial transformation. It brings the best of research to French industries and offers a comprehensive solution combining consulting and engineering services. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Zabala Innovation is an international consultancy firm specialising in consultancy services for both R&D and Innovation management, based in Spain. As project coordinators for MANTRA, Zabala ensures smooth project management and defines the criteria to select and prioritise the manufacturing SME projects that will be funded through the project to unlock their digital and technological potential and build sustainable business models.

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