At the EIC Summit 2025, the spotlight wasn’t just on funding and innovation. A standout session delved into something often left unspoken in tech and science ecosystems: the human side of leadership. Helene Banner, founder of Let’s Just Be Imperfect, Ladies, captured the room with a sharp insight: “The current road to diversity and inclusivity has two floors. First, the burden of change is put entirely on women… Second, men are left out of the conversation.” Her point struck a chord – we’ve been asking women to adapt to outdated systems rather than evolving those systems to reflect diverse strengths.

This message directly aligns with the mission of the Horizon Europe project STREAM IT, which is reshaping how we think about gender, education, and opportunity in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). STREAM IT is working across 19 countries with 21 partners to not only empower women and girls but to redesign the structures around them.

STREAM IT recognises that many girls are discouraged from engaging in STEAM not because of lack of ability or interest, but due to subtle barriers – stereotypes, undervaluation of their talents, and cultural narratives that shape their self-image. In interviews with educators and students, a recurring theme emerged: girls often feel they have to “try harder” to be taken seriously in STEM fields, and their accomplishments are frequently undervalued by teachers and peers alike.

This mirrors Banner’s critique: women are often pushed to “fix” themselves before being considered competent. STREAM IT rejects this mindset. Instead, it asks a crucial question: What if we made education itself more inclusive, responsive, and supportive of girls as they are?

STREAM IT’s approach resonates deeply with Veronica Orvalho, CEO of deeptech startup Didimo, who shared her own journey at the EIC Summit. Recalling moments of self-doubt and the comfort of finally finding community in women-led spaces, she reinforced the idea that confidence grows when women see others like them succeed. “Safe spaces helped me see that I belonged,” she said.

STREAM IT doesn’t ask girls to “lean in” to outdated models of leadership. Instead, it promotes classroom practices that honor different learning styles and leadership expressions. This includes:

• Reviewing how student performance is evaluated
• Introducing gender-aware teaching materials
• Offering creative, collaborative tasks that break traditional stereotypes

This shift is especially critical in hands-on environments like makerspaces and labs, where biases about “who belongs” still persist. STREAM IT stakeholders like Maker Redbox in Hungary are working to change this. Through storytelling and tech-driven activities, they turn STEAM education into a shared, inclusive adventure. Programs like “City of the Future” or “Green Engineers” are co-designed with gender balance in mind, and leadership roles often naturally emerge among girls when the environment supports them.

Crucially, STREAM IT empowers not only students but teachers. It understands that for gender-inclusive education to take root, educators need support, tools, and community. National Inspiration Hubs (NIH) and the project’s online platform offer webinars, resources, and networking opportunities.

Importantly, the project also acknowledges the “double bind” faced by many female teachers – expected to be both nurturing and proactive champions of equality without institutional backing. STREAM IT helps shift that burden by advocating for a whole-school approach: leadership, infrastructure, curriculum, and community engagement all play a role.

Helene Banner’s words at the EIC Summit echo through STREAM IT’s work: “Women don’t need fixing – they need recognition.” By creating programs that affirm rather than reshape girls’ identities, STREAM IT is changing what inclusion means. It’s no longer about gaining permission to enter the room; it’s about changing the room itself.

STREAM IT sees leadership not as a fixed mold but as a spectrum of strengths – from empathy and creativity to strategic thinking and resilience. By giving girls space to lead as they are, and helping teachers model inclusive values, the project is laying the groundwork for a future where diversity is not a checkbox, but a catalyst for innovation.

STREAM IT is not just a project; it’s a call to action. If Europe wants to lead in innovation, it must unlock the full potential of its talent – and that includes girls and women who have long been underrepresented in STEAM fields. By focusing on recognition rather than remediation, and by involving both educators and learners in the process of change, STREAM IT is helping to redefine what empowerment truly means.

As Banner aptly put it, “We keep talking about breaking the glass ceiling because we haven’t changed the room.” STREAM IT is doing exactly that – changing the room, one student, one teacher, and one story at a time.

Sunrise Tech Park

Evelina Šalavėjienė has been working with international projects supporting innovation and entrepreneurship for over 15 years. With a background in marketing and international commerce, she brings a unique perspective to the intersection of business, education, and technology. Her recent work focuses on inclusive innovation ecosystems, with a particular interest in supporting women in STEAM and deeptech fields across Europe.