Women’s role is crucial for agrifood innovation and sustainable development, but there are still too few opportunities for them to show leadership in the sector. EIT Food’s EWA – Empowering Women in Agrifood programme aims to change this situation and promote the potential of innovative, entrepreneurial women to be at the forefront of future-changing solutions. On 25th of June, it officially launched for the third time in Lithuania. Innovators will have six months to work with experienced mentors for personal growth, idea purification or startup strengthening. The best ones will also receive cash prizes.
The standard of applications never set higher
EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. In our country, AgriFood Lithuania, a cluster and digital innovation hub, traditionally coordinates the project, initiated by the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community.
The growing number of candidates reflects its success and the need for it: while 20 women expressed their interest in becoming part of the EWA in 2021, this year almost 50 women applied. Moreover, the majority of applications were very strong. For this reason, according to Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė, CEO of AgriFood Lithuania and EWA Lithuania Ambassador, a competent jury of external experts and EIT Food representatives faced a challenge in selecting the top ten.
“For the shortlisted, I wish you to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity and keep your motivation for the next stage: grow your knowledge, know-how, personal confidence and ambition. The experience of previous years shows that for everyone who puts in enough effort, the programme can be a fatal stepping stone to success, even if they do not win a prize”, motivated K. Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė at the opening event the new EWA mentees.
Agnė Vaitiekūnaitė, Viktorija Šiukščiūtė, Aistė Leonaitienė, Božena Lazovska, Inga Matulytė, Ugnė Dirdaitė, Paulina Jonutė, Greta Budreikė, Ingrida Kuprevičiūtė, Urtė Raubytė have become participants of the EWA 2024.
Mentorship of business, science, and public sector professionals
The organisers of the programme invited women from all over Lithuania to a festive start at the Pacai Hotel in Vilnius. Here, they received detailed information about the EIT Food community, got to know each other and the experts accompanying the programme, and presented their ideas more broadly. After the general meeting, the first active personal matchmaking session with their mentors started.
The team of experts was formed according to the skills and knowledge that the participants wanted to acquire. All professionals are leaders in their respective fields and willing to share their expertise and practical guidance for women who seek to implement innovative ideas.
The mentors will include Jelena Ramanauskienė, Head of Administration at Kauno Grūdai, Eglė Vaičiūkynaitė, Assoc. Prof. of Practice at the KTU School of Economics and Business, Co-founder and CEO of Neuromarketing & AI Lab in California (US) and Vilnius (Lithuania), dr. Aistė Balčiūnaitienė, Senior Researcher at Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, CEO of Biofita, Director of Varėnos Pienelis Jolanta Kuzminienė, Lecturer at the VU Business School Inga Juozapavičienė, CEO of Sibena (Vikonda Group) Gintarė Alčiauskienė. Also, Ignas Šlapkauskas, EIC Programme Manager of the Lithuanian Innovation Centre, Justas Stanys, Business Development and Innovatios Manager at Kauno Grūdai, Algirdas Augustinas, COO of Vikeda, and Elmantas Pocevičius, CEO of Švenčionių Vaistažolės & Acorus Calamus, Head of R&D Department at Vision DEM4 Laboratory, VU lector.
For six months, the EWA participants will develop their entrepreneurial ideas with the help of the above-mentioned experts, and in November, they will present their progress at the AgriFood Forum 2024. Those three who have shown the most progress will share 18,000€, which will help them to successfully develop their young business. Kauno Grūdai, the partners of the programme, have founded a cash prize for the third place this year.
