The EIT Innovation Awards will showcase nine finalists who represent the most promising innovators within the EIT Community, Europe’s largest innovation network. These innovators have been selected for their ability to tackle significant global challenges in areas such as climate, energy, and health.
Eit innovation: Celebrating Innovation Across Europe
The EIT Awards honour innovators, changemakers, and entrepreneurs whose ideas contribute to addressing pressing issues. The finalists will compete for prestigious prizes on November 25, 2025, in Budapest, with the event also available for online viewing.
Categories of Excellence
The awards recognise excellence across four main categories:
- EIT Changemaker Award: Recognises leaders whose work has significant social impact.
- EIT Innovation Team Award: Celebrates teams from education, research, and business fields pioneering transformative products or services.
- EIT Venture Award: Acknowledges emerging startups demonstrating notable promise and growth potential.
- EIT Public Award: Awarded to the finalist favoured by the public through a voting process.
Prize Structure
The finalists in the three main prize categories will vie for monetary awards: €50,000 for first place, €30,000 for second, and €20,000 for third. The Public Award will have a single winner determined by public vote, with voting open until the day of the event.
Finalists in the Changemaker Award
The finalists for the EIT Changemaker Award include:
- Farnaz Baksh from Estonia, nominated by EIT Manufacturing for her development of the open-source Robot Study Companion aimed at supporting students academically and emotionally.
- Laura Laringe from Germany, nominated by InnoEnergy for co-founding reLi Energy, a company that utilises smart software to enhance battery performance and longevity.
- Laurie Lancee from the Netherlands, nominated by EIT Food for founding the AtVenture Platform, which trains new angel investors and connects them with underrepresented founders to help close gender funding gaps.
Finalists in the Innovation Team Award
Those competing in the EIT Innovation Team Award category include:
- AI Automated Industrial Analytics team from Italy, nominated by EIT Manufacturing for creating a human-centric AI platform that enables early issue detection and supports data-driven decisions on factory floors.
- BRIGHT Project Innovation Team from Estonia, nominated by EIT Health for developing a personalised, risk-based breast cancer prevention and screening approach that utilises genetic testing.
- VoiceMed from Italy, nominated by 28Digital, formerly EIT Digital, for software capable of analysing voice or breath recordings to detect abnormal vocal biomarkers within seconds.
Finalists in the Venture Award
In the EIT Venture Award category, the finalists include:
- ABLE Human Motion from Spain, nominated by EIT Health for developing affordable and accessible motorised exoskeletons that aid mobility and gait rehabilitation.
- Digiclean Solutions AB from Sweden, nominated by EIT Manufacturing for creating smart sensor technology that stabilises industrial fluid systems and reduces chemical usage.
- Sofi Alchemist from Finland, nominated by EIT RawMaterials for technology that recovers ultrafine mineral concentrate from process waters, enhancing output in mineral processing plants.
Engagement through the Public Award
The EIT Public Award allows the community to play an active role in the selection process. Voting is open to the public until November 25, encouraging widespread engagement with the innovative ideas presented by the finalists.
Looking Forward to the Event
As the event draws closer, anticipation builds for the innovative ideas that will be presented. The EIT Innovation Awards not only recognise individual and team achievements but also highlight the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing global challenges. With a diverse range of finalists, the event promises to inspire future generations of innovators.
