One of the main challenges faced by European scale-up companies in critical sectors, particularly for high-risk, deep technologies, is the later-stage financing gap, especially at the technology levels.
This is why the EU is introducing targeted support through the STEP platform:
The five programmes directly managed by the European Commission: Digital Europe, Horizon Europe, European Defence Fund, EU4Health and the Innovation Fund will have calls for tenders that will carry a specific label to indicate that they contribute to the STEP objectives. If the submitted project to the calls for tenders fits within the programmes concerned and meets the minimum requirements set out in the calls during the evaluation process (irrespective of whether it receives funding), it will be awarded the Sovereignty Seal, which will allow such projects to be eligible for funding in other Union or Member State instruments.
Projects that have been awarded the STEP Seal (Sovereignty Seal): https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/investors_en
The STEP funding dashboard, which is an interactive guide, offering a continuously updated state-of-play of funding opportunities supported by the EU budget and dedicated to projects related to strategic technologies contributing to STEP objectives, can be found HERE.
To apply for an open call for tenders you will need to follow the instructions that are provided in the call documents and on the relevant website. Note that your project will compete for funding with those submitted by other applicants for that call. STEP does not create new eligibility rules. To be funded under a given STEP call, projects need to comply with the specific rules of the relevant funding programme, as defined in the work programmes and relevant calls for tenders, including eligibility, selection, and award criteria.
For assistance in applying for EU calls for tenders, you can contact the STEP Slovenia National Contact Point and/or the National Contact Points of each programme. Horizon Europe: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. EU4Health: National Focal Points - European Commission. European Defence Fund: Network of European Defence Fund National Focal Points (NFP) - European Commission. Digital Europe Programme: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Innovation Fund: National Contact Points - European Commission.
Horizon Europe is the ambitious EU research & innovation framework programme for 2021-2027. Strategic orientations are defined by the current second Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027, where STEP is highlighted as an instrument for strengthening research capacities in key enabling technologies.
Horizon Europe is EU's flagship initiative supporting research and innovation from conception to market deployment. The total amount of funding earmarked for research and innovation over a 7-year period is EUR 95.5 billion, the largest ever.
Horizon Europe programme structure:
The calls for tenders for STEP, within the Horizon Europe work programmes 2025, will be located in the so-called Cluster 4 under pillar II and in the European Innovation Council (EIC) under Pillar III.
The EU4Health programme is an unparalleled European Union programme adopted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to reinforce crisis preparedness within the EU. The EU4Health programme will bring a contribution to the long-term health challenges by building stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems. With an initial budget of EUR 5.3 billion for the 2021-2027 period.
The European Defence Fund is a European Union programme aimed at developing Europe's competitive and collaborative defence projects. The Fund has a budget of nearly EUR 8 billion for the 2021-2027 period and will (co-)finance a number of projects by companies and research organisations established in the EU or Norway.
National Contact Point: Ministry of Defence, MATEVŽ LIPOVŠEK, MSM, e: matevz.lipovsek@mors.si
The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is an EU funding programme focused on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens and public administrations for the 2021-2027 period.
DIGITAL provides funding for projects in five crucial areas: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and ensuring the wide use of digital technologies across economy and society, including through Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH). With a budget of EUR 7.5 billion in current prices, it aims to accelerate economic recovery and shape the digital transformation of the European society and economy, benefiting all, especially SMEs.
The DIGITAL does not address challenges in isolation. It complements the funding available through other EU programmes, such as the Horizon Europe for research and innovation and the Connecting Europe Facility for digital infrastructure, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Structural funds, to name a few.
The Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programmes for the deployment of net-zero and innovative technologies, aiming to bring to the market solutions to decarbonise European industry and support its transition to climate neutrality.
With a budget of more than EUR 38 billion, funded from a certain amount of emission allowances auctioned under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the Innovation Fund aims to support projects that focus on:
From 2023, as additional sectors are included in the Emissions Trading System, innovative projects in the decarbonisation sectors of buildings and mobility (maritime, aviation and road transport) are also eligible for funding under the Innovation Fund.
The Fund aims to create the right financial incentives for companies to invest in clean technologies now and to empower them to become world leaders in clean technologies.
In the course of 2025, a call for tenders will be launched for grants awarded to projects in the technology areas covered by STEP, which must be feasible and implemented by 2029, to companies or consortia of companies with public research organisations, which must fulfil at least one of the following conditions:
Action under preparation
These IPCEIs are cross-border, multi-country projects involving large, medium-sized and small companies, linking them with partner companies across the European Union. Companies participate in such projects with their own project proposals and designs, which are either to be implemented individually or in consortia. Companies participate in IPCEI projects as direct, indirect or associate partners. The partners participate with EU Member States, which are involved in the coordination of the joint European project development, in the preparation of a joint application in the form of a "chapeau text", on the basis of which the European Commission grants State aid to direct partners.
Slovenian companies are already participating in IPCEI in the areas of microelectronics, cloud infrastructure and services, batteries, and are involved in IPCEI in the areas of hydrogen and health. New IPCEIs are already under preparation, including on circular advanced materials, nuclear technologies, artificial intelligence, microelectronics and cloud services. The Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport plans to support some of the projects of Slovenian companies as STEP projects.
FREE ADVISORY SERVICE AT EU LEVEL
Free advisory services are available at EU level to support project development and commercialisation.
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