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At a time when international competitiveness is being redefined based on technological innovation capacity, the European Union is launching the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) with the aim of ensuring sovereignty, resilience, and sustainability on a continental scale. This strategic move does not arise in isolation: it fits into a context marked by seismic challenges – from dependence on non-EU technologies to the urgent need to respond to the green and digital transition.
Portugal, inserted in this European ecosystem, faces the double challenge of accelerating the modernisation of its productive fabric and positioning itself as an active part of the European technological transformation. STEP thus represents a unique opportunity for the country to redefine its strategic position by integrating European value and knowledge networks, and by attracting structural investment to areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, clean technologies, and emerging digital systems.
This framework is not only relevant for large multinationals or top research institutions. On the contrary, the impact of STEP can (and should) spread to innovative SMEs, universities, and Portuguese tech startups, promoting a knowledge economy anchored in transnational collaboration, smart financing, and the training of highly qualified talent. Aligning Portugal with STEP objectives is, therefore, more than a political obligation: it is a bet on the future of economic growth, productive autonomy, and technological inclusion.
Table of contents
1. What is the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)?
2. What are the Strategic Investment Pillars of STEP?
3. STEP Objectives for Digital Technologies and Deep-Tech Innovation
4. STEP Objectives for Clean and Efficient Technologies
5. STEP Objectives for Biotechnology
6. What changes does the STEP Platform introduce to Community Funds?
The European Union (EU) launched the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) with the intention of creating a robust and transversal public policy instrument capable of structuring a systemic response to the growing need to consolidate European technological sovereignty. This initiative positions itself as one of the central pillars of the European strategy for sustainable growth, integrating three essential strands: coordinated investment, innovative regulation, and intersectoral and multilevel collaboration.
In a context marked by geopolitical and economic challenges, such as the intensification of global competition, rising trade tensions, and supply chain disruptions caused by events like the COVID-19 pandemic, STEP assumes itself as a critical instrument for the resilience of the European economy.
The initiative intends to face Europe's dependence, thus having a strategic alignment regarding the Net-Zero Industry Act and the CRMA (Critical Raw Materials Act), European regulations regarding the net-zero emissions industry and critical materials with a focus on areas classified as strategic for reducing external dependence.
The digital pillar of STEP has the ambition not only to generate knowledge but also to translate it into concrete applications with real impact on the economy and society.
To this end, it proposes an approach that covers all phases of the innovation cycle: from fundamental research to technological validation, from prototyping to scale-up production and market introduction.
This integrated intervention logic aims to solve the structural blockage known as the "valley of death", where many European innovations stall due to a lack of capital or adequate infrastructure to ensure scalability.
Initiatives of note include:
The table below constitutes a representative and non-exhaustive list of digital technologies mentioned in the Annex to the Commission Recommendation of digital technologies that are relevant to the STEP platform.
Deep tech innovation, as defined in Recital 6 of the STEP Regulation, should be understood as that which, based on cutting-edge science, technology, and engineering, has the potential to provide truly transformative solutions to current societal, economic, and environmental challenges. This form of innovation is characterised by its advanced scientific base and the integration of distinct technological domains, namely physical, biological, and digital technologies. Its transversal nature allows it to frequently emerge at the intersection of the three major domains supported by STEP: digital technologies, clean technologies, and biotechnologies.
The transformative potential of deep tech innovation intensifies particularly when these technologies converge. Examples include emerging areas such as nanobiotechnology, bioinformatics, next-generation energy storage (advanced batteries and supercapacitors), and smart grids. These technological combinations pave the way for disruptive advances in strategic sectors such as health, mobility, defence, and the environment. Furthermore, deep tech innovation is also essential when applying technologies such as latest-generation semiconductors, quantum technologies, solar, or robotics to high-risk and demanding environments, such as space or highly secure communication systems for defence purposes.
It is also important to highlight that the sectors, sub-sectors, and applications classifiable as deep tech are in constant evolution, keeping pace with the accelerated rhythm of scientific and technological progress. Therefore, the very concept of deep tech must remain dynamic, adjusting to market maturation, the emergence of new needs, and changes in global technological paradigms.
The second STEP pillar is based on the development and production of clean technologies where net emissions are zero, as defined in the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).
Based on European Union recommendations for technological areas classified as critical for the EU's economic security, certain clean and efficient technologies are mentioned as critical to ensuring relevant resources for STEP.
The Third pillar, centered on biotechnology, focuses on repositioning Europe as a leader in pharmaceutical production, the development of next-generation treatments, and the transition to a smart bioeconomy. STEP recognises that, beyond scientific research, it is fundamental to create the capacity to decentralise production with the aim of increasing response speed, scalability, and security.
Highlighted technologies include:
The table below constitutes a representative and non-exhaustive list of biotechnologies relevant to STEP and complemented with the list of medicinal areas classified as Critical and their components.
STEP represents a concrete and structural opportunity to leverage investment in strategic technologies in Portugal and the European Union. Integrated into the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, this platform brings together 11 existing European programmes, joined by an additional allocation of 1.5 billion euros, with the aim of supporting projects with high transformative potential in the digital, biotechnological, and clean technology domains. Through a transversal approach, STEP reinforces the link between financing, innovation, and sustainable economic development.
One of the platform's most emblematic instruments is the new STEP Sovereignty Seal, a European Union quality label that recognises and distinguishes projects highly aligned with STEP's strategic objectives. This seal gives projects greater visibility, reinforces their credibility with investors, and facilitates access to other European and national financing instruments, promoting a multiplier effect on investment. The Seal works as an "accelerator" of opportunities, allowing for simplified and preferential ("fast-track") paths to obtaining support.
In parallel, STEP introduces relevant changes to the mechanisms for applying Cohesion Policy funds, namely in the context of the reprogramming of the Portugal 2030 Operational Programmes. Among these changes are the possibility of creating specific priorities dedicated to STEP sectors, increasing co-financing rates, and extending support to large companies, which represents a significant shift from the regime traditionally focused on SMEs. These flexibilities enhance the attractiveness and scope of public support for technological investment.
Among the changes, the scheduling of 2 new calls under Portugal 2030:
Around €515M is also foreseen to boost Research and productive innovation for STEP objectives under the Clean and Efficient technologies pillar.
These tenders will be a test of the national capacity to mobilise economic and scientific agents. They are also an opportunity to redefine the role of large Portuguese companies, often absent from European instruments, and integrate them into a technological transformation strategy.
STEP is not a programme to meet targets. It is a vision to redesign Europe's role in the 21st century. For Portugal, it can mean a new economic cycle based on scientific innovation, industrialisation of emerging technologies, and talent appreciation.
Companies, universities, and policymakers must view STEP as a national goal. With a long-term vision and collective involvement, it is possible to position the country as a European technological pillar for the coming decades.
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