On 4 March, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), celebrating its first anniversary, focused on developing and manufacturing critical technologies in Europe. Over the past year, STEP has combined investments from 11 EU programmes, mobilising over €15 billion to enhance competitiveness in digital technologies, clean and resource-efficient technologies, and biotechnologies.
So far, €9.1 billion has been mobilised from five programmes managed by the Commission, including the Digital Europe programme and the European Defence Fund. Additionally, €6.1 billion is being allocated from cohesion policy funds by 11 Member States. The STEP Taskforce collaborates with all 27 EU Member States, engaging with project promoters to understand their investment needs and simplify access to EU funding.
“In only one year, STEP has demonstrated that the EU budget can be more agile. Project holders can benefit from more streamlined support and access to EU funding, focussing on the strategic technologies the EU needs to develop. The experience with STEP can be useful for the preparation of our next EU budget,” highlighted Piotr Serafin, Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration.
The STEP Portal offers a centralised platform for project promoters to access funding opportunities. About 60 calls for proposals have been published, with around 40 currently open for submissions. The STEP Portal also showcases 142 high-potential projects awarded the STEP Seal, which includes notable initiatives.
Some examples: OpenEuroLLM aims to create open-source Large Language Models for artificial intelligence in all EU languages (Digital Tech), Energy Observer 2 will be the first hydrogen-powered cargo ship, cutting maritime freight emissions by 98% (Clean tech) and PHARMSD 3.0 seeks to optimise pharmaceutical manufacturing through improved spray drying techniques (Bio Tech).
STEP works to attract private investment for these high-potential projects. Support from Member States is expected to grow in 2025, promoting innovative projects and reducing dependencies on strategic technologies. Member States are encouraged to utilise STEP resources under NextGenerationEU and the Recovery and Resilience Fund by reallocating resources to STEP-labeled projects.
