Today, the Commission released an improved version of the EU flagship initiative ‘Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform’ (STEP) Portal. This one-stop shop supports project promoters, national managing authorities and investors to access key information and identify EU funding opportunities in the three STEP strategic sectors: digital technologies and deep-tech innovation, clean and resource-efficient technologies and biotechnologies.
Projects funded under STEP could, for example, support the development of novel antivirals and the building of artificial intelligence (AI) models in the EU, or provide skills support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) active in key green technologies. To maximise further public and private investment, high quality eligible projects are to receive a ‘STEP Seal’ and will be actively promoted via the STEP Portal.
STEP steers and leverages resources from 11 existing EU funding investment programmes to address the need to support EU industry and boost investments in critical technologies in Europe thanks to a more strategic approach to strengthen EU competitiveness and reduce strategic dependencies. The Commission is now assessing the first batch of Member States’ plans to direct Cohesion Policy funds to support investments in critical clean, digital, and bio-technologies. The list of concrete projects financed thanks to STEP will be published in the coming months.
On 20 June 2023, the Commission presented the mid-term revision of the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, including a proposal for a regulation establishing STEP. STEP entered into force on 1 March 2024.