Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP): Boosting investment in strategic technologies since 2024

STEP is an EU initiative launched in March 2024 to boost Europe's competitiveness and ultimately its sovereignty by supporting the development and manufacturing of critical technologies in the EU. It is not a standalone fund but rather a platform that coordinates and steers resources from 11 existing EU programmes to aim reducing strategic dependencies and strengthen value chains in key technology sectors.

STEP finances strategic projects in four sectors: digital and deep tech, clean and resource efficient technologies, biotechnologies and defence technologies. Projects are primarily supported via grants. The main equity instrument, the EIC STEP Scale-up call, provides €10 to 30M investments to help scale-ups expand production capacity and enter markets, but only for critical technologies within STEP’s scope.

Project promoters identified under the STEP initiative are broadly distributed as follows: about 33% of start-ups and scale‑ups, around 25% of research institutions and universities, and the remainder comprising public bodies, large corporates, associations, innovation hubs, and project finance vehicles. This mix reflects STEP’s role in bridging early-stage innovation with industrial deployment through European Commission-managed funding, Cohesion policy funds, and targeted equity.

Sectorial Focus

STEP focuses its investments on four critical technology sectors:

1. Digital and deep-tech innovation (e.g., AI, quantum computing, microelectronics, cybersecurity)

2. Clean and resource-efficient technologies (e.g., net-zero, decarbonisation technologies, clean hydrogen)

3. Biotechnologies (e.g., medical innovation, vaccines, pharmaceutical manufacturing)

4. Defence technologies - added in December 2025 (e.g., missiles and ammunition, drones)

STEP Seal

The STEP Seal is a quality label awarded by the European Commission to high-potential projects (funded and non-funded) that meet all the excellence criteria of EU funding programmes but may not have been funded due to budget constraints.

The STEP Seal is awarded across the following Commission-managed EU programmes: Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, EU4Health, Digital Europe Programme and the European Defence Fund.

Over 800 projects across all EU Member States and all STEP sectors have received a STEP Seal so far. The STEP Seal enhances a project's visibility, helps attract alternative public (possible fast-track to national and regional EU funding) and private funding, signalling its strategic importance to investors and Member States.

Key Facts and Figures – 2 years of STEP

As of its second anniversary in March 2026, STEP has achieved significant milestones. €29 billion of EU funding have been mobilised so far with:

• More than €14 billion from Commission-managed programmes.

• More than €15 billion of EU Cohesion policy funds mobilised in 20 member states.

Over 220 STEP funding calls have been listed on the STEP Portal. Close to 800 projects have been awarded a STEP Seal. Examples of supported projects include autonomous drones, advanced pharmaceutical production, and clean hydrogen facilities.

STEP & EIC STEP Scale-up Call

Managed by the European Innovation Council (EIC), the EIC STEP Scale-up call is a key contributor to STEP objectives, based on equity support. It is designed to provide larger investments to companies developing strategic technologies to help them scale up and reduce market gaps in deep tech funding. Its main features include:

• Budget: €300 million in 2026, €900 million in total (over 2025- 2027).

• Investment size: Investments of €10 to 30 million per company to leverage private co-investment and achieve financing rounds of €50 to €350 million or even more.

• Process: A shortened evaluation process and is continuously open with quarterly evaluation sessions.

• Recipients: The first selected companies include Multiverse Computing (quantum/AI), Hyimpulse Technologies (satellite launch services), and Dronamics (cargo drones). So far over 20 scale-up companies have benefited from this programme.

Why is STEP relevant for Business Angels – what’s in it for a business angel?

STEP is highly relevant for business angels for several key reasons:

• STEP Seal holders, especially the start-ups and the research and universities promoters, often in relatively early stage TRLs (from TRL 4), classified by country and region on the STEP Seals dashboard of the STEP Portal, could be relevant for BAs, to better assess the innovation ecosystem in every EU Member State / region. 

• Co-investment opportunities: The STEP Seal is designed to crowd in private investment, allowing BAs to find in the STEP Portal local high-potential, de-risked deep-tech companies with significant funding needs (project details, grant amounts and consortia members are visible also in the dashboard).

• De-risked deal flow: The STEP Seal acts as a signal, identifying and certifying high-quality, strategic projects under the EU programmes’ criteria. This reduces the search and evaluation burden for BAs, providing a pipeline of vetted investment opportunities.

• Enhanced visibility: The STEP Portal serves as a matchmaking platform, connecting Commission services (advisory, matchmaking, accelerator…) and investors with all STEP Seal projects and other funding opportunities across the EU, making it easier to find deals aligned with strategic technology priorities. The STEP team also worked to develop a dedicated Dealroom page to start-ups and scale-ups.

How can BAs engage with STEP?

Business Angels can engage with STEP at both the European and national levels:

• European Level:

  • Use the STEP Portal: The Portal is a ‘one-stop-shop’ where investors can find all information on funding opportunities and explore projects with a STEP Seal.

  • Taylor-made initiatives

• National Level:

  • Engage with STEP National Contact Points (NCPs): Each Member State has a National Contact Point that facilitates STEP implementation and can connect local investors with relevant projects and funding opportunities.

  • Cohesion Policy Funding managed at national and regional level: 20 Member States have steered in total over €15 bn of their EU Cohesion policy funds’ envelopes towards STEP priorities. BAs can engage with national and regional authorities managing these funds to identify co-investment opportunities.

STEP at hand: STEP Portal

The STEP Portal is a central online platform launched by the European Commission in April 2024 and regularly updated and improved. It serves as a single-entry point for all STEP-related information. Its main functions include:

• A ‘one-stop-shop’ approach for project promoters, public authorities, and investors.

• Listing all STEP funding calls: current and upcoming (over 220 so far) across different EU funding programmes managed by the Commission and Member States.

• Showcasing STEP Seal projects, enhancing their visibility to potential investors.

• Providing interactive tools like a cohesion policy funding map and a dashboard to help users easily navigate funding opportunities.

• A Chatbot is being developed to make access to information even simpler.