First EIC STEP Scale Up Defence call closes with nine applications requesting €175 million

News Tank Academic - Brussels - News #458943 - Published on 29/10/26 at 14:49
©    EIC
Michiel Scheffer, President of the EIC - ©    EIC

The first European Innovation Council (EIC) STEP Scale Up Defence call has closed with nine applications requesting a total of €175 million, the EIC announced on 29/10/2026.

The nine companies that applied are defence companies across seven countries. One in three applications comes from a country eligible for widening support, said the EIC.

The EIC STEP Scale Up Defence scheme is part of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), offering financial support in the form of investments to start-ups, SMEs and small mid-caps. It complements the support offered through the EIC STEP Scale Up call, which addresses predominantly civilian or dual-use applications in digital and deep technologies, clean technologies and biotechnologies, and is managed by the EIC Fund.

The scheme has a…

©    EIC
Michiel Scheffer, President of the EIC - ©    EIC

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