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The EU-wide Strategic Technologies Platform, STEP has celebrated its second anniversary with the record achievements for the development and manufacturing of critical technologies. Since its inception in March 2024, STEP managed to mobilise about €29 billion of funding across the EU-wide financial programs to support technologies in four priority sectors and associated skills: a) digital and deep-tech innovation, b) clean and resource-efficient sectors, c) bio-technologies, and d) defence (for some of the defence sectors already from December 2025).
Background: STEP objectives
The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, STEP has been designed to strengthen the European ability to create and ramp up strategic technologies, making it more competitive globally. It supports sectors like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and clean energy to boost innovation and economic growth by: a) supporting the development and manufacturing of critical technologies; b) safeguarding and strengthening their respective value chains; and c) addressing shortages of labour and skills.
The EU-STEP program aims to ensure that the EU leads in digital, clean and bio tech, while reducing its dependence on imports from other countries. This initiative supports the EU’s goals to adapt to a rapidly changing world and secure sustainable growth for the decades ahead.
The conditions set by the STEP Regulation are incorporated into the specifications for competitive procedures initiated by managing authorities and the European Commission.
From the outset, the STEP derives its initiatives from the recommendations in the Draghi report delivered in 2024.
More on the EU competitiveness in:
https://www.integrin.dk/2024/09/09/eu-wide-competitiveness-challenges-and-perspectives-in-draghi-report/
STEP was established by the EU Regulation in March 2024, as part of the mid-term review of the Eu long-term budget, MFF. In its original design, it covered critical technologies in three strategic sectors, namely biotechnologies, deep-tech and digital technologies, and clean and resource-efficient technologies.
More on the regulation in:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/795/oj
In December 2025, the so-called “defence mini-omnibus regulation” extended the scope of STEP to the fourth priority sector, namely defence technologies.
Under the competitiveness pillar of the Cohesion mid-term review, STEP was also re-confirmed as a priority in September 2025; i.e. STEP will be promoted at several events in the coming months. The European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) faces persistent barriers in accessing finance, in particular private finance for investment, due to the risks that market actors associate with such investment. As a consequence, leveraging public defence-related investment has become vital.
The STEP’s executive team and services across the Commission are engaged with National Contact Points appointed in each EU member state, including missions, workshops, outreach in industry and investment events, support to EU projects, and technical assistance to national authorities.
More on the defence “mini-omnibus” (December 2025), i.e. regarding “incentivising” defence-related investment in the EU budget to implement the “Rearm Europe Plan” in:
https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/document/download/f5e627b9-fc49-4873-a37b-458d4d53ccfd_en?filename=OJ_L_202502653_EN_TXT.pdf
Complex technological approach
Close to €14 billion of EU funding mobilised under STEP is deployed from funds managed by the European Commission to the benefit of the entire EU: the Innovation Fund, the Digital Europe program, the European Defence Fund, the EU4Health program and Horizon Europe. More than €15 billion is already invested in STEP’s priorities by 20 EU member states and their regions from their EU-funded cohesion policy funds. Larger amounts are being crowded in from other public and private investors.
More on STEP in: https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/index_en
These funds are powering concrete projects on the ground which are selected based on their innovation profile for the EU as a whole and/or their capacity to reduce the strategic dependency of the Union. STEP supports for example projects developing autonomous drones, advanced pharmaceutical production processes and clean hydrogen facilities (with more examples from the STEP stories’ website.
Reference to: https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/news-and-events/press-and-media/eu29-billion-eu-funding-mobilised-drive-eu-competitiveness-strategic-technologies-europe-platform-2026-03-30_en
Commission’s opinion
Commissioner Piotr Serafin noted that in just two years, the STEP “proved that a targeted funding initiative on priority sectors could lead to impressive results”. Thus, STEP continues to be a key pilot project on access to funding for the Commission, proving the importance of simplification, streamlining and strategic focus through the European Competitiveness Fund and the next MFF discussions.
The positive experience of the STEP approach was an important input into the Commission’s proposal to consolidate 14 programs into one European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) starting in 2028. Inspired by the STEP Portal, a Single Gateway will be established to consolidate and simplify access to funding opportunities across the EU budget.
Thus, in close connection with the European Competitiveness Fund, the renowned EU research framework, with its flagship Horizon Europe worth €175 billion, will continue to fund world-class innovation.
More on MFF in: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/eu-budget-2028-2034_en
European industrial acceleration legislation
In the beginning of March 2026, the European Commission has adopted a legislative proposal to increase demand for low-carbon, European-made technologies and products. The Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) will boost manufacturing, grow businesses, and create jobs in the EU, while supporting industry’s adoption of cleaner, future-ready technologies.
In line with the recommendations of the Draghi report, the IAA introduces targeted and proportionate “Made in EU” and/or low-carbon requirements for public procurement and public support schemes.
More on Draghi report in: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_en
The proposal will apply to selected strategic sectors, notably in steel, cement, aluminium, cars and net-zero technologies, while establishing a framework that can be extended, where appropriate, to other energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals.
It will also strengthen European production capacities and boost demand for European-made clean technologies and products. The Act includes a requirement for the EU member states to set up a single digital permitting process to speed up and simplify manufacturing projects.
The “industrial accelerator”, the IAA aims to increase value creation in the EU, strengthening our industrial base against the backdrop of growing unfair global competition and increasing dependencies on non-EU suppliers in strategic sectors. It therefore represents a strategy to support long-term economic growth, prosperity and security.
In 2024, manufacturing represented 14.3% of EU GDP and therefore plays a vital role in Europe’s economic resilience, innovation lifecycle and social fabric. Thus, the IAA legislation has inaugurated the EU-wide goal to increase manufacturing’s share of EU GDP to 20% by 2035.
Reference ton: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_515
The IAA also introduces Industrial Acceleration Areas designed to enable industrial symbiosis and encourage the creation of clean manufacturing project clusters. The creation of such clusters will facilitate essential energy infrastructure investments and promote area-wide permits. Projects in these areas will avail of profiling with investors and support with skills development.
More on IAA in:
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en