Investments and Research for Strategic Technologies STEP
The Priority supports investments, learning, education and training projects of enterprises, including large enterprises, for the development and manufacturing of critical technologies in the three strategic sectors identified by the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform - STEP, introduced by the Regulation (EU) 2024/795.
The Platform pursues these objectives:
- reducing the Union’s strategic dependencies in strategic sectors
- strengthening the Union’s competitiveness, its resilience and productivity
- fostering cross-border participation, including of SMEs
- making its economic, industrial and technological base fit for the green and digital transitions
Step pursues these goals through three strategic sectors, which support the development and manufacturing of critical technologies throughout the Union, safeguarding and strengthening their respective value chains:
- digital technologies, including those contributing to the targets and objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, and deep tech innovation;
- clean and resource efficient technologies, including net-zero technologies
- biotechnologies, including medicinal products and their components.
The technologies shall be deemed critical where they meet either of these conditions:
- they bring to the internal market an innovative, emerging and cutting-edge element with significant economic potential;
- they contribute to reducing or preventing strategic dependencies of the Union.
Specific objective
- Supporting investments that contribute to the objectives of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) referred to in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council
- Supporting investments in enterprises for the development or manufacturing of critical STEP technologies - action 1.6.1
- Supporting learning, education and training projects for the development of critical STEP technologies - action 1.6.2
Funds
A total of 61,5 million euros is available, reallocated from Priority 1, as in 6% of 2021-2027 ERDF RP financial allocation.