STEP Scale Up is an equity investment, not a grant. The European Innovation Council takes a direct stake, and ticket sizes are set company by company rather than published as a ceiling, so a founder cannot know in advance what is on the table.
Scale-ups must be established in the EU and working on a strategic technology. Chips and clean technology are named first, alongside biotech, space and deep tech more broadly.
Applications close on 25 November 2026 and no further round has been announced.
What it actually costs you
Rather than a grant, STEP Scale Up is the European Innovation Council taking direct equity in scale-ups working on strategic technologies — chips and clean technology alongside biotech, space and deep tech more broadly. Ticket sizes vary by company. Applicants must be based in the EU, and founders should expect a genuine equity stake to change hands rather than non-dilutive support.