EU's strategic technologies programme (STEP) provides €29 billion in first two years

The EU's Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) has provided €29 billion in funding across several Union programmes to boost the development and manufacturing of critical technologies in the EU, the European Commission announced on 30/03/2026.

STEP was proposed by Ursula von der Leyen in June 2023 as a funding programme to support European industry and investment in key technologies. Officially established in March 2024, STEP coordinates and channels up to 11 different sources of funding at the European level. The funding focuses on four sectors: digital and deep-tech innovation; clean and resource-efficient technologies; biotech; and defence.

Of the €29bn mobilised by STEP, €13.8bn was deployed from five programmes managed by the Commission: Digital Europe Programme (3%), EU4Health (3%), European Defence Fund (6%), Horizon Europe (12%) and the Innovation Fund (76%). Twenty member states and their regions have invested over €15bn into STEP priorities, and larger amounts are being raised by other public and private investors.

The STEP Portal, an online one-stop platform…