This programme supports individual productive investment operations within the strategic sectors of the Strategic Technologies Platform for Europe (STEP), aimed at the manufacturing of critical technologies and at preserving and strengthening their associated value chains in the domains of digital technologies, deep technology innovation, and biotechnology.
Eligible operations must be innovative in nature and result in the production of tradable and internationalisable goods and services with high added value and a significant level of national incorporation. The supported investments must contribute to the objectives of STEP, as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council, through the manufacturing of critical technologies and/or investments that reinforce the respective value chains in the targeted technological domains.
Requirements
Eligible operations include innovative productive investments contributing to the objectives of STEP in the following sectors:
i) Digital technologies, including technologies that contribute to the goals and targets of the Digital Decade Programme for 2030, and deep technology innovation;
ii) Biotechnologies, including medicinal products listed in the Union list of critical medicines and their respective components.
Within the context of STEP objectives, supported investments must aim at the manufacturing of:
a) Final products falling within the domain of critical technologies, as identified in Annex E;
b) Specific components and machinery mainly used in the manufacturing of critical technologies;
c) Critical raw materials relevant to the production of critical technologies;
d) Associated services, including specialised services that are specific and critical to the manufacturing of final products.
Eligible beneficiaries include:
- Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs);
- Medium-sized Enterprises;
- Non-SMEs;
- Small Mid Caps.
Applications open on 30 January 2026 and close on 30 April 2026 at 17:00 (Lisbon time).
Learn more
For more information, please visit compete2030.gov.pt
