[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/nl\/article\/modal\/15036\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFrom saving sight to next-generation logistics: meet the 2026 EU Women Innovators \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Dr Katerina Spranger was a child, she came very close to losing her sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI had an accident and had to undergo emergency surgery,\u201d she recalled.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrecision is a key part of such procedures. Even a tiny error can mean the difference between seeing again and going blind for the rest of your life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was lucky,\u201d said Spranger. \u201cAnother girl, who had the same operation directly after me, wasn\u2019t, however. She went blind. I often think back to that moment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe memory came rushing back when Spranger stepped onto the stage at the 2026 EU Prize for Women Innovators to receive the top prize of \u20ac100 000.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe was named the overall winner in recognition of her work founding Oxford Heartbeat, a company that uses AI to help surgeons make safer decisions during complex brain procedures. Her childhood experience had ultimately set her on that path.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe annual EU Prize for Women Innovators, jointly awarded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), celebrates female entrepreneurs whose businesses are turning\u0026nbsp;ideas\u0026nbsp;into real-world solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond recognising achievement, it aims to raise the visibility of women in Europe\u2019s innovation ecosystem. The need remains significant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWomen account for only\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/en\/knowledge-publications-tools-and-data\/interactive-reports\/she-figures-2024\u0022\u003E9%\u003C\/a\u003E of patent applicants in Europe, hold around a quarter of leadership positions in companies and receive just\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/reports\/2025-european-all-in-female-founders-in-the-vc-ecosystem\u0022\u003E2%\u003C\/a\u003E of venture capital funding for female-led start-ups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re not there yet,\u201d Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, told the award ceremony during the EIC Summit in Brussels on 3-4 June 2026. \u201cFemale entrepreneurs are still being undervalued in Europe. And that means we\u2019re missing a lot of talent.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPrecision medicine\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOriginally from Ukraine, Spranger\u0026nbsp;leads\u0026nbsp;the London-based Oxford Heartbeat, which develops AI-powered software to help surgeons select the most suitable implants for patients undergoing brain surgery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s possible to develop cutting-edge technology, lead a company and win the highest awards as a woman.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Katerina Spranger, Oxford Heartbeat\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese procedures often involve placing tiny implants inside blood vessels to prevent strokes or restore blood flow. Surgeons can choose from hundreds of implants in different sizes and shapes, but selecting the right one is not always straightforward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese implants are often only a few millimetres in diameter,\u201d said Spranger. \u201cChoosing the right one can have a major impact on patient outcomes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA recent Oxford Heartbeat clinical study found that around one third of implants selected are not the optimal fit for the patient.\u0026nbsp;\u201cThat number is way too high,\u201d she said. \u201cI know how important precision can be. Thanks to surgical precision, I recovered my eyesight. This is what motivated me to develop technology that helps ensure every patient has the best chance for a successful recovery.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOxford Heartbeat\u2019s software analyses medical scans and patient data to identify the most appropriate implant for each individual case.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Spranger, the award is about more than business success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe new generation of women needs role models and examples to see that it\u2019s possible,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s possible to develop cutting-edge technology, lead a company and win the highest awards as a woman. It\u2019s possible to do whatever you want and make your dreams come true.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBack from space\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s Rising Innovators Award, which celebrates exceptional women innovators under 35, went to Marta Oliveira. The Portuguese entrepreneur, based in Belgium, co-founded ATMOS Space Cargo, a company developing technology to return cargo safely from space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn Europe we often talk about launch access,\u201d Oliveira said. \u201cThat\u2019s important. But re-entry is also a crucial capability, and currently we\u2019re dependent on the US. We want to change that.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EATMOS develops reusable capsules\u0026nbsp;designed to survive the journey back through Earth\u2019s atmosphere, returning\u0026nbsp;cargo and scientific experiments from orbit by splashing down in the ocean. The company, which employs around 90 people and has recently secured \u20ac25 million in investment funding, has already tested its technology in space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpace missions rarely go exactly to plan, and\u0026nbsp;Oliveira\u0026nbsp;has learnt to expect the unexpected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EIf women see how other women can achieve these things, there\u2019s a bigger chance they will pursue these paths themselves. If you can see it, you can do it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EMarta Oliveira, ATMOS Space Cargo\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA few weeks before the mission, we got the news that the trajectory had changed,\u201d Oliveira said with a laugh. \u201cWe were supposed to land off the coast of Madagascar, but ended up off the coast of Brazil. Just a different ocean.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite receiving the Rising Innovator award, Oliveira is already a veteran of the space sector, having worked at NASA, the European Space Agency, the French space agency CNES and Arianespace before co-founding ATMOS.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is something I wanted for as long as I can remember,\u201d she said. \u201cFrom when I was a child, I knew I wanted to do things in space.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike Spranger, she believes visibility matters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere isn\u2019t a lack of talent among women,\u201d Oliveira said. \u201cIf women see how other women can achieve these things, there\u2019s a bigger chance they will pursue these paths themselves. If you can see it, you can do it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETransparent supply chains\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s Women Leadership Award went to Ella Cullen. Originally from New Zealand and now based in Portugal, she co-founded Minespider, a company that helps businesses trace the origins of raw materials and measure the environmental footprint of their supply chains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe originally founded the company to improve transparency around conflict minerals in supply chains,\u201d Cullen explained. \u201cBut today, it has expanded far beyond that.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough its platform, clients can understand\u0026nbsp;where materials come from, how they were produced and what environmental impacts are associated with them. Major international companies such as Renault, Ford and Google use the system to track everything from battery materials to components used in data centres.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMinespider has benefited from growing European efforts to improve supply chain transparency through initiatives such as the EU Battery Regulation and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECullen believes innovation is not only about technology, but also about building organisations where people can thrive. Minespider currently employs around 15 people and is growing rapidly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI love building a company culture that allows everyone to flourish, men and women,\u201d she said. \u201cWe give mothers and fathers flexibility, for example to finish work earlier when needed. As long as people are doing their jobs, we support a flexible work culture.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite working in very different sectors, all three winners share a common goal: using innovation to solve real-world problems. For them, the award is both recognition of what they have achieved and encouragement for what comes next.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBringing innovation to the market is a long journey, full of hurdles and unexpected challenges,\u201d said Spranger. \u201cMoments like this make the journey so rewarding. It gives you a great reason to celebrate.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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