Go Back
Description
Expected Outcome
Scope
Partner Requests
Contact
Related Fundings
Add to favorites:
Share:

MedTech for Women – Innovation Competition for Improving Women’s Health

This funding call supports the research and development of disruptive medical technology and health technologies aimed at improving women’s health. Launched by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the programme is part of the Hightech Agenda Germany and addresses women’s health as a strategic innovation field at the intersection of medical technology, health technologies, and artificial intelligence. The call seeks to strengthen Germany’s research and innovation landscape while closing persistent gaps in diagnosis, therapy, and healthcare provision for women.

The programme focuses on technology-based solutions that can significantly improve diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for female-specific diseases and diseases that affect women more frequently. It targets women’s health from menarche to postmenopause and supports projects that demonstrate the feasibility and technical applicability of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Projects are expected to show a substantial technological leap, strong innovation potential, and a realistic pathway toward later exploitation and market uptake.

Funding is available for pre-competitive, application-oriented single and collaborative R&D projects. Supported projects must address one of three medical disciplines: gynaecology, neurology, or clinical immunology. The call is particularly interested in indications with exclusive or high female prevalence, substantial unmet medical need, high burden for patients, and low representation in the current research landscape. Examples include polycystic ovary syndrome, vaginal health, vulvodynia, catamenial epilepsy, dementia-related conditions, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and mast cell activation syndrome.

Eligible technological approaches include innovative diagnostics and monitoring systems, biomarker-based measurement methods, AI-based diagnostic and therapeutic systems, neuromodulation, adaptive drug delivery, novel sensor technologies, and other disruptive medtech solutions. Projects may also contribute to reducing the gender data gap by developing representative datasets and improving the use of AI in women’s health research and care. However, projects focused only on consumer applications, smartphone apps, simple combinations of wearables and smartphones, pharmacological drug development, data collection alone, or direct product certification are explicitly excluded.

A strong interdisciplinary approach is required. Consortia should combine expertise from business, science, healthcare, civil society, and administration where relevant. Projects must address regulatory requirements early, including patient safety, data protection, data quality, usability, risk management, quality management, and future compliance with the EU Medical Device Regulation. The call expects the development of a functional demonstrator and requires that clinical data generated during the project be usable for later regulatory approval processes.

Eligible applicants include universities, non-university research institutions, companies of all sizes, hospitals, medical and care institutions, associations, and non-profit organisations, provided they are based in Germany. Private individuals are not eligible. International collaboration is welcome but not required; only project partners located in Germany can receive funding. Funding is awarded as a non-repayable grant for projects with a duration of generally 36 months. The application process is two-stage, starting with project outlines and followed by formal applications for shortlisted proposals.

This funding opportunity represents an early draft that has not yet been officially approved by the European Commission. It is expected that details of the calls will change until finalization. The final, approved version is expected to be published by End of 2025. This draft is provided for informational purposes and may be used to preliminarily form consortia and develop project ideas, but it is offered without any guarantee.

Opening: 20.03.2026
Deadline(s): 30.04.2026

Expected Outcome

• Development of disruptive medtech and health technology solutions that improve women’s health.
• Better diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for female-specific diseases and diseases more common in women.
• Earlier and more precise disease detection, including improved time-to-diagnosis and time-to-therapy.
• Increased tolerability and precision of therapies, for example through adaptive drug release or less invasive solutions.
• Functional demonstrators with realistic market and exploitation potential.
• New knowledge on diagnostically and therapeutically relevant medical technologies for women’s health.
• Contribution to closing the gender data gap through better datasets and representative AI training data.
• New patents, research collaborations, industry partnerships, and potential spin-offs.
• Improved translation of research results into clinical care and future product development.
• Strengthened competitiveness of Germany as a location for medtech and women’s health innovation.

Scope

• Funding of pre-competitive, application-oriented single and collaborative R&D projects in medical technology and health technologies for women’s health.
• Focus on disruptive technological approaches in diagnosis and therapy.
• Projects must address women’s health from menarche to postmenopause.
• Eligible medical fields are gynaecology, neurology, and clinical immunology.
• Target conditions must be female-specific or have higher prevalence in women and show high unmet medical need.
• Eligible technologies include AI-based systems, biomarker diagnostics, neuromodulation, adaptive drug delivery, innovative sensor systems, and monitoring approaches.
• Projects must demonstrate high innovation level, technological risk, and plausible disruption potential over existing solutions.
• Regulatory requirements, patient safety, data protection, interoperability, and future MDR usability must be considered from an early stage.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration between science, industry, healthcare, and other relevant actors is required.
• Projects focused solely on apps, consumer products, wearables-plus-smartphone combinations, pure data collection, or direct certification are excluded.

Partner Requests

Explore Real Collaboration Opportunities

🔍 As a logged-in member, you now have exclusive access to all active Partner Requests for this Funding Call.
See who’s looking for collaborators, explore exciting project ideas, and discover how others are planning to make an impact.

💡 Use these insights to get inspired—or take the next step and start a request of your own (first 3 entries for free).

Log in or registrate here for free.

Ask our experts about this call

Connect with the Listing Owner!

💬 Please log in now to send a direct message to our experts and ask your questions. Not a member yet? Sign up for free and start connecting today!

Related Funding and Finance Opportunities

Unlock Exclusive Funding Opportunities!

🔑 Get instant access to tailored funding opportunities that perfectly match your needs. This powerful feature is exclusively available to our professional members—helping you save time, stay ahead of the competition, and secure the right funding faster.

Upgrade to Professional now and never miss an important opportunity again! Already a member? Log in here to explore your matches.

Related Innovation Offers

Discover Tailored Innovation Offers!

🚀 Gain access to technology solutions that match your specific needs and interests—carefully selected to support your innovation goals. These offers are exclusively available to our professional members, helping you identify relevant technologies faster and start the right conversations with potential partners.

Upgrade to Professional now and explore your personalized technology matches today! Already a member? Log in here to view your tailored offers.

Related Knowledgeable Resources

Discover More with Professional: Related Knowledge Resources

🔒 You’re missing out on expert-curated knowledge specifically matched to this topic. As a professional member, you gain exclusive access to in-depth articles, guides, and insights that help you make smarter decisions, faster.

Whether you’re preparing a funding proposal, researching a new market, or just need reliable information—our professional knowledge matches save you hours of research and point you directly to what matters.

Upgrade to Professional now and instantly unlock relevant knowledge tailored to your needs! Already a member? Log in here to view your personalized content.