Questions and Answers

STEP has two main objectives:

1. supporting the development or manufacturing of critical technologies throughout the Union or safeguarding and strengthening their respective value chains; and
2. addressing shortages of labour and skills critical to all kinds of quality jobs in support of the first objective.

Pursuant to Article 2(1), point (a) of the STEP Regulation, the following sectors are in the scope of STEP:

1. Digital technologies, including those contributing to the targets and objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, multi-country projects as defined in Article 2(2) of Decision (EU) 2022/2481, and deep tech innovation;
2. Clean and resource efficient technologies, including net-zero technologies as defined under the Net-Zero Industry Act; and
3. Biotechnologies, including medicinal products on the Union list of critical medicines and their components
4. Defence technologies, including those referred to in the Annex to Directive 2009/43/EC, including the EU Common Military List as updated yearly by the Council, and in those technologies that relate to the priority capability areas identified by the European Council on 6 March 2025.

A broad range of companies, from startups and SMEs to mid-caps and large corporations as well as other organisations active in research and development of critical technologies, such as universities or research organisations, can benefit from STEP’s support. 

The implementation of STEP is coordinated by the STEP Taskforce located within the European Commission. 

STEP does not create new eligibility rules. Eligibility conditions for each project will be determined by the specific rules of each funding programme (i.e. in the work programmes and calls for proposals’ eligibility, selection, and award criteria) 

Is my company eligible? All the calls under STEP can be found on the Get Funding Dashboard.  

You still have a question? Please reach out at EC-STEP-INFOec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EC-STEP-INFO[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) 

EU funding is generally awarded following a competitive process – the rules are defined based on the Financial Regulation and the Regulation of the applicable programmes by each Granting Authority (the Commission, Regional Authority in a Member State or Implementing partner). The rules of participation, the selection and award criteria are specified in the call documents.

To obtain funding for a project, you need to identify a relevant call for proposals or call for tenders and carefully follow the specific guidelines on how to apply – each call is unique and subject to a specific selection process (for the calls managed by the Commission see Calls for proposals | EU Funding & Tenders Portal) 

For programmes implemented by the Commission, in each work programme, a selection of call topics is identified as contributing to the STEP objectives. Proposals submitted under these call topics will be awarded a STEP Seal if they meet the minimum requirements set out in the specific call conditions.

For calls published by the Managing Authorities in the Member State please consult the rules referred in the specific call.

For other repayable forms of support (equity, debt, other financial instruments and guarantees) please consult our Implementing partners including the European Investment Bank Group as well as the national promotional banks and several international financial institutions (e.g, banks, equity funds, and other financial intermediaries) operating within the EU. You can find your local InvestEU Implementing Partner on our Access to EU Finance website.

STEP supports the development of technologies from the moment their feasibility has been demonstrated through to commercial production. Applied research or the mere deployment of existing technologies are outside the scope of STEP eligibility.

Based on the Guidelines on Regional State Aid, Member States can grant higher amounts of regional aid for investment projects under the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), aiming to boost critical technologies and economic resilience across Europe, with:

• increased aid by up to 10 percentage points for 'a' areas and
• 5 percentage points for 'c' areas. 

For more information:

• Read the Guidelines on regional state aid
• Consult the overview provided in the Regional Aid maps 2022-2027, that are used to assess the compatibility of all notifiable regional aid awarded or intended to be awarded.

Consult the Brochure for Managing Authorities

Pursuant to Article 2(4) and (5) of the STEP Regulation, projects recognised as strategic under the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) or the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), are automatically deemed to contribute to STEP objectives.  This automatic recognition does not guarantee access to EU funding nor the award of a STEP Seal.

Recital 6 of the STEP Regulation indicates that technologies that fall within the four STEP sectors, which are the subject of an important project of common European interest (IPCEI)36 approved by the Commission pursuant to Article 107(3), point (b), of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), should be deemed critical, and individual projects within the scope of such an IPCEI should be eligible for funding, in accordance with the rules of the relevant programmes, to the extent that the identified funding gap or, where relevant, the eligible costs have not yet been completely covered.

STEP projects need to fulfil at least one of two conditions for considering a technology as critical: innovativeness or contribution to reduce or prevent strategic dependencies. 

For more details on the scope of STEP-supported technologies, you can download the updated STEP Guidance (December 2025) that complements the first STEP Guidance Note (May 2024). This second guidance clarifies the scope of STEP following its extension to defence technologies as well as other elements relevant to STEP implementation.   

Article 2(2) of the STEP Regulation specifies that the technologies referred to in section 2 of the STEP Guidance Note are to be deemed critical if they meet either of the following conditions: 

1. they bring to the internal market an innovative, emerging, and cutting-edge element with significant economic potential;
2. they contribute to reducing or preventing the strategic dependencies of the Union. These two conditions are not cumulative in the assessment of criticality.

Support to the development and manufacturing of certain defence technologies (including AI, cybersecurity technologies or drones) was already possible under STEP under the digital sector, where possible in EU programmes open to non-civil exclusive use. To better support the urgent need to increase European defence investments with the EU budget, the Commission proposed in April 2025 to extend the scope of STEP by introducing a fourth strategic sector covering all defence-related technologies, including those falling under the priority capability areas identified in the Joint White Paper “European Defence Readiness 2030”. 

Adopted on 5 November 2025, this new legislation includes targeted amendments to programmes covered under STEP - Horizon Europe (HE), Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and European Defence Fund (EDF) - as well as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) (the latter not covered by STEP) in order to further mobilize Union’s resources towards defence. 

This new legislation complements the Commission’s Mid-Term Review of Cohesion Policy which entered into force on 19 September 2025, which extended incentives for STEP under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund (CF), Just Transition Fund (JTF) and European Social Fund + (ESF+) Regulations to further promote competitiveness and investments in defence (as well as in other priority areas).   

The Cohesion Policy Mid-Term Review Regulation foresees a set of incentives to encourage EU Regions and Member States to redirect their cohesion policy funds towards several priorities, including defence and competitiveness (STEP). In particular: 

The 20% ceiling on the ERDF/CF resources that could be reallocated to STEP is lifted.  

The amendments submitted before end December 2025 will enjoy an extension of higher pre-financing possibilities for programmes including STEP priorities, granting a one-off pre-financing of 20%. 

Large enterprises can be supported in all EU regions for both STEP and defence projects (and extended to IPCEIs). 

The 100% co-financing of the STEP priorities remain until the end of the current MFF period.

Defence technologies are those referred to in the Annex to Directive 2009/43/EC, including the EU Common Military List as updated yearly by the Council.

They are also the technologies that relate to the priority capability areas identified by the European Council on 6 March 2025, namely: air and missile defence, artillery systems, including deep precision strike capabilities, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, strategic enablers, including in relation to space and critical infrastructure protection, military mobility, cyber, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare.

The other three STEP sectors (digital and deep tech innovation, clean and resource efficient, and bio tech) continue to be supported. As regards artificial intelligence, AI Gigafactories are expected to become key infrastructures to expand rapidly the power of AI in defence technologies.

The stages of development remain the same [development and manufacturing]. Investment in skills relevant for the development or manufacturing of critical technologies can also be supported under STEP.

STEP uses resources across 11 EU funding programmes to investments in strategic technologies and in people who can implement those technologies into the economy. 

Five programmes are managed directly by the European Commission (Direct management): 

• Horizon Europe
• Digital Europe Programme
• EU4Health
• European Defence Fund
• Innovation Fund

Five programmes are jointly managed by European Commission and national authorities (Shared management): 

• Recovery and Resilience
• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
• Cohesion Fund
• European Social Fund+ (ESF+)
• Just Transition Fund

1 programme is managed by partner organisations or other authorities inside or outside the EU (Indirect management):

• InvestEU

You will find all the programmes’ description in the dedicated section of this portal 

Indeed, Horizon Europe is one of the EU programmes which contributes to STEP. The European Innovation Council (EIC) under Pillar III is the main focus of STEP in Horizon Europe: A dedicated STEP Scale Up as well as STEP-relevant challenges contribute to STEP. 

Currently Pillar II Cluster 4 of Horizon Europe also contributes to STEP, including several STEP-relevant calls in the space area.   

You can access open calls under STEP in the Get funding dashboard 

For STEP opportunities in the European Innovation Council (EIC) under Pillar III, please consult:

• Step Scale Up
• EIC Accelerator  

To go further check the EIC Frequently asked questions

No. In principle only call for proposals in the investment area of ‘biotechnology’ (including medicinal products on the Union list of critical medicines and their components) can be eligible for STEP as long as they support the development and manufacturing of critical technologies, bring an innovative cutting-edge element with significant economic potential to the single-market, and/or contribute to reduce or prevent strategic dependencies of the EU.

Only call for proposals under direct management (grants) are eligible under STEP. ‘HERA invest’, while a flagship initiative under the EU4health programme geared to support entities developing medical countermeasures (STEP ‘biotechnology’ sector), is implemented via indirect management (contribution agreements) and is not eligible.

Actions under STEP are identified in the EU4Health programme (under ‘part1. direct management – GRANT’) and are simultaneously published in the STEP Portal. Any other action under direct management (procurement) or indirect management that boost investments in any of the three target STEP areas and fulfils STEP objectives and conditions, can be advertised in the STEP portal but are not eligible and cannot confer a STEP Seal.

Projects applying to all Innovation Fund calls for proposals (excluding auctions) and their respective topics are eligible to receive a STEP Seal (see STEP Seal section). This is because the Innovation Fund calls for proposals are in line with STEP objectives. 

The Seal aims at making it easier for projects to receive alternative or cumulative funding, where needed and possible, from various EU budgetary instruments. For example, projects awarded the STEP Seal can receive support from some cohesion policy funds by Member States with simplified selection processes. 

The projects awarded the Seal will be showcased on the STEP Portal to enhance their visibility and help them attract more funding.

There is no additional procedure/need to apply for the STEP Seal. A project applying to a relevant STEP call under one of the above-mentioned programmes automatically competes to receive the STEP Seal and will receive it if it meets all the minimum quality requirements of said call.

Projects awarded the STEP Seal will receive a certificate and a leaflet to explain what can be expected and are listed on the STEP Portal, upon agreement with the project promoters of non-funded projects.

Projects receiving a STEP Seal will be promoted on the European Commission STEP Portal which is open to all public and private investors. 

There are also a number of incentives to encourage other EU funds to support projects awarded a STEP Seal:

• Cohesion Policy Funds (ERDF, ESF+, JTF): Managing Authorities in Member States can fast-track project and grant support directly to projects awarded the STEP Seal, provided that the operations comply with the conditions of the cohesion policy fund, complies with the programme and the underlying strategies and contributes to its specific objectives. Please note that this decision always underlies in the Managing Authority.  
• Recovery and Resilience Facility: Projects will be considered as a priority for funding when Member States revise their Recovery and Resilience Plans.
• Modernisation Fund: Projects could be considered as a priority by Member States.
• InvestEU: Projects will be taken into account by Commission in its ‘policy check’ and are to be examined by implementing partners in a timely manner.

Provision of alternative or additional public funding to projects awarded a STEP Seal shall be without prejudice to applicable State aid rules.

There is no legal impediment for managing authorities of member states to support multi-beneficiary projects awarded the STEP seal with cohesion policy funds, although this is generally more complex and requires more coordination between granting authorities compared to mono-beneficiary projects. 

Two possibilities could be envisaged: 1) a single managing authority supports the entire project and provide funding to the beneficiaries, even to those not established in the region/country; 2) several managing authorities support the project, with further two options: a)splitting the project into smaller operation under cohesion policy programme or b) splitting the project costs amongst them under the condition that project falls under the scope of all cohesion policy programmes concerned in its entirety. 

Further details on both options can be found in the brochure for STEP national contact points and managing authorities published by the Commission in the STEP Portal.

Projects being awarded a Seal are promoted on the STEP Portal (subject to consent by the project promoters). The Commission also commits to actively promote these projects among public funding bodies, e.g. managing authorities of Cohesion Policy Funds, and private investors. This will provide additional visibility and may help attract public and private funding by certifying their quality and contribution to the STEP objectives.  

Projects holding the Seal are eligible for support throughout their duration, provided they do not relocate outside the EU and commence within five years from receiving the Seal, ensuring a focus on timely and regionally committed development. 

The Seal is not retroactive. The STEP Seal is awarded only under STEP-relevant calls for proposals of the 5 EU funding programmes in direct management under the STEP remit after the entry into force of the STEP Regulation, i.e., 1 March 2024. Furthermore, the possibility and conditions to receive the STEP Seal must be defined in the documentation of the relevant call.

The STEP Seal is a novelty under STEP and is awarded to STEP projects (which meet the evaluation thresholds) irrespective of whether your proposal is retained for funding. The STEP Seal aims at facilitating funding opportunities for your project from other Union programmes covered by STEP, such as Cohesion Policy funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. 

The Seal of Excellence (SoE) is a quality label under the Horizon Framework Programmes and is only awarded to projects (which meet the evaluation thresholds) that were not retained for funding due to budgetary constraints. The SoE allows your project to benefit from state aid exemptions which includes aid up to EUR 2.5 million per SME per research and development project. You can find more information here: How can seal holders use the Seal of Excellence?

In few cases, both Seals may be awarded simultaneously (this is the case for projects in the STEP-relevant EIC Accelerator Challenges calls which meet the evaluation thresholds but are not retained for funding).