EIC STEP Scale-up

Stapel aus Holzklötzen, die als Stufen einer Treppe dienen, mit einem roten Papierflieger auf einem blauen Hintergrund.

EIC STEP Scale-up, provides start-ups and SMEs with investments of EUR 10 to 30 million as co-investments in larger financing rounds to drive the scaling of their breakthrough innovations in the fields of digital technology, clean technologies and biotechnology.

EIC STEP - Who can participate?

The following entities are eligible to apply for EIC STEP Scale-up:

  • A single SME or small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established within a Member State or an Associated Country.
  • An investor may submit a proposal on behalf of an eligible SME or small mid-cap as defined above,

EIC STEP targets companies seeking major funding rounds in the range of 50-150 Mio. EUR. Teams applying for STEP need to provide proof of initial market interest from a qualified investor covering at least 20% of the total target funding round.

EIC STEP - What is being financed?

The EIC STEP Scale-up scheme offers financial support in the form of investments to startups, SMEs, and small mid-caps, between EUR 10 to 30 million. The support will be in the form of equity-only investments managed by the EIC Fund. Its goal is to scale-up innovation in Europe's strategic technology sectors thereby enhancing the EU´s economic and technological competitiveness. The EIC Step Up scheme will catalyze larger funding rounds, amplifying the impact of the initial investment. It is designed to fill the funding gap for companies to invest in the scale up of high-risk innovations, where the amount needed for the scale up cannot be fully financed by other investors.
 
In order to apply, your innovation must be within the scope of the priority areas:

  • Digital technologies
  • Clean and resource efficient technologies
  • Biotechnologies

EIC STEP - How to participate?

You can apply anytime via the following link.
The application procedure consists of two stages: The proposal and the interview.

1. Submit your proposal:

  • a full business plan, including information on the company’s ownership and financial structure, STEP related objectives (following a proposal template, maximum 50 pages)
  • a pitch-deck (15 slides maximum)
  • a pre-commitment from a qualified investor
  • an ownership control declaration.

If your application meets the eligibility requirements, you will be invited to attend a jury interview. You will be informed about the interview in 4-6 weeks from the start of the evaluation process.

2. EIC Jury interview

At the online interview, you will be assessed by a Jury of maximum six members. You will be informed about the result of the interview in 2 weeks from the date of the interview. Proposals will be assessed according to the following award criteria: EIC STEP Scale-up award criteria in EIC Work Programme 2025.