STEP Stories

Axelera-FAST (Fueling Axelera’s Semiconductor & AI Transformation) is a project designed to scale Axelera AI up and mass-produce Europe’s first fully sovereign AI acceleration platform.

The Small UAS project encompasses an advanced AI-driven group system of 10 unmanned aerial systems (UAS), specifically designed for operations in air, land, and maritime environments.

As the world's first cargo drone airline, Dronamics wants to democratise air freight through sustainable, EU-developed drone technology.

SENTINEL addresses the need to shift military energy provision from a high reliance on fossil fuels towards sustainable, resilient, and efficient energy solutions.

FiBrane is a groundbreaking method for efficiently transforming seawater into ultrapure water (UPW) needed for offshore green hydrogen production.

Greensand Future is a medium-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project aiming to store 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year in a former oilfield to support the EU’s net-zero goals.

HYFLEX aims to enhance energy efficiency by establishing a hydrogen storage facility (10-tonnes capacity) and expanding the existing methanol plant with new electrolysis capacity.

OpenEuroLLM will develop a family of Large Language Model (LLMs) covering all EU official languages, ensuring transparency, compliance with the AI Act, and uptake among European businesses, startups, and innovators

PharmSD 3.0 will develop an integrated, continuous-pharmaceutical spray drying process to enhance efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

PUMA will further develop Europe’s radiation-hardened integrated circuits, establishing a European capability in cutting-edge and high reliability space equipment

This project develops an AI and robotic driven, decentralised pharmaceutical EU manufacturing platform to enhance crisis preparedness.

ScaleUp will demonstrate Europe’s first large-scale underground thermal energy storage system in Vienna, enabling renewable heat supply during the coldest season of the year.

SmartNEBI will develop a sustainable, enzyme-based synthesis of heart-medicine nebivolol to enhance sustainability, scalability, and EU pharmaceutical sovereignty.

SPACELINK will establish Europe’s first independent supply chain for space-grade optical transceivers.

SPEEDCELL will revolutionise vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing by developing a faster, more reliable production process.

Swap2Zero will be the world’s first zero-emission cruise ship, integrating renewable energy and advanced hydrogen fuel cells