20 Nov 2025
EU announces €171 million in investments for innovative European scale-ups
The European Commission has announced a new group of companies proposed to receive scale-up investments totaling €171 million through the EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up call. These companies will now undergo due diligence before the EIC Fund makes final investment decisions.
The EIC STEP Scale Up scheme provides investments of €10 to €30 million per company, aiming to attract further private funding and support financing rounds from €50 to €150 million or more. This initiative targets a critical funding gap for breakthrough innovations, focusing on digital, clean, resource-efficient, and biotech technologies.
Out of 51 applicants, 36 were interviewed by independent experts. Of these, eight companies met all criteria and are moving forward for investment decisions. An additional 21 companies, judged excellent but not selected due to budget limits, will receive the STEP Seal, granting them access to alternative funding and EIC Business Acceleration Services.
With a budget of €300 million for both 2025 and 2026, the EIC STEP Scale Up initiative is designed to strengthen Europe’s technological autonomy and support the growth of pioneering companies in strategic sectors.
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