Women’s health research and innovation (R&I) is receiving increased political attention across Europe, but significant gaps in funding, evidence, and translation continue to limit progress. R&I systems remain structurally disconnected from the needs and burden of women’s health, a disconnect reflected in three interrelated gaps: funding, evidence, and translation. 2020 data shows that only around 5% of global R&D funding was directed towards women’s health, with approximately 90% of that investment focused on women’s cancers. Similarly, just 6% of private healthcare investment is directed towards women’s health globally, while companies dedicated specifically to this field receive less than 1% of private healthcare capital. Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality for women, attracted only USD 2 million in dedicated equity in 2025, while autoimmune diseases—which occur four times as frequently in women—received almost no dedicated investment.

Growing momentum but persistent gaps in women’s health R&I

Persistent underinvestment and prolonged under-prioritisation have resulted in significant gaps in the evidence base and an inadequate understanding of women’s heterogeneous health needs. This has led to a ‘drought’ in the maternal health innovation pipeline and the under-representation of women in clinical trials, estimated at 22%. Consequently, women face widespread under-diagnosis, late diagnosis, and mistreatment of conditions that are either unique to women or present differently than in men. While women’s health is increasingly recognised as a functioning innovation ecosystem, it faces a lack of strategic investment across the full innovation pipeline and limited financing beyond the seed stage. This compounds a translation gap where promising innovations lack the infrastructure to reach scale.

The EU’s growing focus on women’s health R&I

EU policy signals an increasing commitment to women’s health as a strategic R&I priority. The EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights highlights the importance of gender-sensitive research, and integrating a gender dimension is now a funding requirement for Horizon Europe proposals. In September 2026, MEPs adopted a report on gender inequities in health calling for more strategic efforts to address longstanding gaps. However, shortcomings remain as women are still under-represented across the European R&I ecosystem and are in the minority among inventors. While the EU has committed approximately EUR 2 billion through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe to more than 1,000 projects, these investments are considered insufficient to close existing gaps. The European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality has recently called for more ambitious action aligned with the forthcoming EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030.

Mapping the landscape of women’s health R&I in the EU

Between 2021 and July 2026, Horizon Europe supported 22,528 projects representing approximately EUR 59 billion in contributions. Of these, 596 projects (2.65%) included specific or cross-cutting women’s health R&I terms, accounting for approximately EUR 1.1 billion or 1.86% of total contributions. Funding is heavily concentrated in historically recognised areas: breast cancer (143 projects; EUR 270 million), pregnancy and maternal health (105 projects; EUR 200 million), and fertility (91 projects; EUR 140 million). Conversely, healthy ageing for women and women-specific cardiovascular research recorded only three projects each. Member State participation is concentrated, with Spain, France, and Germany accounting for the largest shares of project coordination.

At the national level, seven countries (Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, England, Wales, Scotland, and Norway) have established dedicated standalone women’s health strategies. Several countries have introduced targeted funding initiatives in 2025, marking a notable increase in public investment. For example, Spain announced a tripling of R&D funding for women’s health, while Germany has a multi-year commitment of EUR 90 million to support research in endometriosis and clinical data gaps. Dedicated research centres in Wales, Denmark, and Finland further signal a long-term focus on building infrastructure. Private capital investment in the sector reached USD 34 billion between 2020 and 2025, though 50% of this funding remains concentrated in the pre-seed or seed stages.

Towards a more coherent direction for women’s health R&I and the role of partnerships

The funding ecosystem faces structural limitations, specifically a ‘funding cliff’ between early-stage research and later development and market entry. The report suggests that strategically designed public-private partnerships could bridge this gap by linking research, evidence generation, and translation. Models like the ConcePTION project—a consortium of 88 partners—and the Eir Accelerator in Finland demonstrate the potential of ecosystem-oriented approaches. A dedicated European women’s health strategy or mission under a future framework programme like FP10 could establish shared priorities and coordinate action across EU institutions and Member States. Such an approach would help move European women’s health R&I from fragmented initiatives towards a more connected, strategic, and end-to-end innovation ecosystem.