STEP in a nutshell

STEP objectives

The Strategic Technologies for Europe platform (STEP) is designed to strengthen the EU’s ability to create and ramp up strategic technologies, making it more competitive globally.

STEP delivers on recommendations from the Draghi report. It supports sectors like AI, cybersecurity and clean energy, to boost innovation and economic growth by:

STEP aims to ensure that the EU leads in the sectors of the future – like digital, bio and green tech – while reducing dependence on other countries and regions.

STEP focus

The STEP initiative focuses on accelerating projects in the development and manufacturing phases across 4 pivotal sectors:

Text version

More on the sectors funded by STEP:

STEP second guidance note

STEP first guidance note 

Examples of eligible technologies

STEP conditions

To qualify for STEP and potentially benefit from funding, a project/technology must first meet at least one of these 2 conditions:

The conditions set by the STEP Regulation are incorporated into the specifications for competitive procedures initiated by managing authorities and the European Commission. Calls for proposals or tenders outline the selection and evaluation criteria, which are applied during the assessment process. 

For more details, see: 

• STEP first guidance note
• STEP second guidance note
• STEP brochure for managing authorities 

Tools and support

The implementation of STEP relies on these 4 tools: