The EIC STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) Scale Up call is designed to support fast-growing European deep-tech companies that are developing strategically important technologies for Europe. The STEP Scale Up call fills the late-stage funding gap faced by EU deep-tech ventures by providing large equity investments via the EIC Fund.
The focus is on scale-ups that:
- Have already demonstrated substantial technological progress
- Operate in areas essential for European sovereignty, competitiveness, and resilience
- Require large-scale investment to accelerate industrialization, manufacturing, and market expansion
Target areas
- Digital technologies
- Clean & resource-efficient tech, including net-zero technologies
- Biotechnologies
Who can apply?
- Start-ups, SMEs, small mid-caps (fewer than 499 employees)
- Investors applying on behalf of an eligible company seeking EIC co-investment
Funding available
- €10–30 million equity investment per company
- Deployed through the EIC Fund, following due diligence
- Funding supports:
- scale-up of manufacturing
- commercial deployment
- expansion into global markets
- strengthening EU supply chains
- developing critical strategic technology capabilities
How the submission works
- Continuous application window with quarterly cut-offs
- Applicants can submit at any time and will be batched for evaluation at the next cut-off date.
Cut-off dates for 2026
- 11 February 2026
- 6 May 2026
- 9 September 2026
- 25 November 2026
After each cut-off, eligible applications move to the evaluation stage.
This article was co-created by:
Harita Yedavally PhD
Senior Consultant
Filipa Carvalhal Marques PhD
Senior Consultant
Isa van der Veen
Consultant
