Targeted beneficiaries
STEP supports the following broad categories of European organisations who are active in critical technologies:
Special categories also contribute to the financing to STEP objectives and can award STEP Seals if they provide funding support through STEP programmes (Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, etc.).
- ‘Important projects of common European interest’ may also receive support under STEP, if they have a funding gap or uncovered eligible costs.
Types of Funding
| Equity, prizes | for non-bankable SMEs, including start-ups, and non-bankable small mid-caps, through the European Innovation Council |
| Equity, loans | available for EU companies under InvestEU |
| Grants, procurements, prizes | in the areas of digital and deep tech, clean tech and biotech under Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, European Defence Fund, EU4Health and the Innovation Fund. |
| Grants, procurements, prizes, equity, loans, guarantees | open to any type of entities active in digital and deep tech, clean tech and bio tech in the EU, through the cohesion policy funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. |
Advisory services
Advisory services offer tailored financial and technical advice for the promoters of innovative projects, at any stage of the project. They are delivered by public and private organisations, and funded by the EU.
The goal is to help promoters:
understand the EU funding ecosystem and access finance
mature their project, eventually bringing it to market
These services not only facilitate the development of innovative ideas but also their successful deployment to market.
InvestEU Advisory Hub
- InvestEU Advisory Hub partners provide project advisory support, capacity building and market development, for project promoters and financial intermediaries.
- The Hub provides advisory across 4 policy windows: Sustainable Infrastructure; Research, Innovation and digitalisation; SMEs; and Social investment and Skills.
- To apply, describe your needs and submit your request at InvestEU Central
Project Development Assistance (PDA) under the Innovation Fund
- Supports some projects who applied unsuccessfully for an Innovation Fund grant.
- Provides tailored advice to enhance projects’ technical and financial readiness for funding and operational maturity.
- For details, see Project Development Assistance
Business Acceleration Services (BAS) under the European Innovation Council (EIC)
- Provides tailor-made services to accelerate projects’ path to market and growth.
- If a project has been awarded the STEP Seal under an EIC STEP-relevant call (regardless of whether it has received funding), it can access BAS through the open calls published on the EIC Community Platform and use the BAS coaching service via its Coaching Matching Dashboard.
- For details, see Business Acceleration Services
European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) under the European Defence Fund (EDF)
- Dedicated to small firms (SMEs), EUDIS provides a set of tools to help innovators mature, scale-up, demonstrate their use-case and successfully enter the defence market.
- If you are an SME that is part of a consortium selected for a grant under EDF, you are automatically eligible for up to 15 days of business coaching provided by defence and space industry experts. Register here.
- If you were not selected for a grant, you can still apply for other EUDIS initiatives, including hackathons, technological challenges, spin-in calls and much more. Find all the relevant opportunities on the Funding & Tender portal.
- For details, see EUDIS
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)
- The network helps SMEs access new markets, understand EU regulations and find partners.
- You can search for business and academic partners to develop your products or services ideas by consulting Europe’s largest online database of business partnering opportunities.
- For details, see Enterprise Europe Network
Project Development Assistance (PDA) under the Hydrogen Valleys Facility
Support project developers, both public and private, willing to receive support to mature their Hydrogen Valleys projects
Provides tailored expert assistance, free of charge, to help advance Hydrogen Valleys in commercial, technical, regulatory and valley governance aspects towards the Final Investment Decision (FID).
For more information, please visit the Hydrogen Valley Platform
In most cases, these advisory services are offered on a fee basis. Regardless of the payment structure, the goal remains the same: to provide valuable assistance to innovative projects and help them succeed in a competitive and ever-changing market.
The non-exhaustive list below - under construction - will be regularly expanded.
TechEU Platform
TechEU is the EIB Group fast-track system for start-ups and scale-ups to seek financing under the TechEU programme. It offers a comprehensive suite of instruments to support high-risk projects and innovative companies throughout their investment journey, from idea to market. It ensures swift responses to financing proposals and features an Investment readiness checker.
Dearlroom.co
Dealroom.co is a data and intelligence platform, specialising in insights into startups, high-growth companies, and global tech ecosystems. It supports investors and corporations by streamlining the sourcing and research phases of deal flow, enabling users to identify new opportunities, analyse market trends, and benchmark companies against competitors. Through its partnership with Dealflow.eu, Dealroom channels this intelligence into actionable, high-quality deal flow for investors focused on the European market.
28 Digital
28 Digital is a pan-European multi-stakeholder platform, collaborating with both the public and private sectors. Co-funded by the EU, 28 Digital has a 15-year track record of operating at the highest levels and delivering European innovation and education.
STEP Seal holders receive a 50% discount on these services. Just indicate you are a Seal holder when submitting your application. Available services include:
- Speed Master: Boost your skills with an executive course designed to fast-track the success of scaleups and startups. The course requires a commitment of 2 hours per week and features interactive online sessions, offering a certificate on completion.
- Access to Talent: Find top STEM talent through an extensive network of highly skilled digital innovators and entrepreneurs from 28 Digital’s Master School. 28 Digital has a 15-year track record of delivering T-shaped entrepreneurial tech talent.
- Growth Services: Scale your company with hands-on guidance and access to a network of over 1,000 experts, investors and business partners. This service focuses on business acceleration, international market entry and securing Series A/B funding.
- 28 Digital Innovation Ecosystem: Collaborate, network and innovate within the largest European open innovation ecosystem.
EuroQuity
EuroQuity is a publicly funded, non-profit IT platform offering online matchmaking functions, helping companies meet investors, business support organisations and other companies. Its matchmaking space includes over 3,000 qualified international investors.
EuroQuity is also a space for companies to learn about the best opportunities for growth through webinars, funding calls, corporate partnerships, etc. Several EuroQuity European Communities are open for STEP companies, such as:
- TechGlow EU: a new online community for women-led companies in Europe which aims to create a strong cross-border network and promote collaboration among women leaders in the technology sector. It offers access to executive insights, guidance for navigating the ever-changing technology landscape and the exchange of ideas with peers.
- Access2EIC Community: now in its 7th year, it offers coordination and support action, building on the foundations laid by previous EIC support networks and in line with the new Horizon Europe programme, aiming to support the best European companies in their "transition" stage.
- EEN2EIC Community: the Enterprise Europe Network to European Innovation Council (EEN2EIC) aims to extend the breadth of supporting activities that EEN provides to women entrepreneurs, widening countries, and Seal of Excellence (SoE) holders. The goal is to help the best European companies with SoE certification find public or private funding.
- BlueInvest: a community where entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and innovation stakeholders can plug in to the maritime (blue) economy. Content and activities promote blue growth and help SMEs and start-ups access finance and business opportunities.
Members of a community can expect business-to-investor matchmaking, networking, knowledge exchange and links to relevant accelerators, incubators and clusters – as well as online learning and training/coaching opportunities, events and growth opportunities. Learn more on the EuroQuity website.
Tips for managing your project
Applying for EU funding is like a journey. From crafting your proposal to submitting it, going through the evaluation process and contract signature, and then managing and reporting on your project, information is available to guide you every step of the way
- How to apply
Find out about what you need to know (eligibility check, application process…) before you apply.
- Evaluation and contract signature
- Managing your project
What to expect once you are awarded a contract: reporting, deliverables, audits and communication
National Contact Points
Are looking for funding? Get in touch with your STEP National Contact Point.
Find your national contact point in the map
