Scale-up Track
EIC STEP Scale Up: two routes, EUR 10-30M equity
STEP Scale Up invests equity of EUR 10 to 30 million in European companies scaling strategic technologies. It runs as two separate instruments in 2026 with different budgets, different deadlines and different scope. Both are equity-only: there is no grant component in either.
One condition decides both routes
A qualified investor must pre-commit at least 20% of the round before you apply. That 20% has to come from one single investor: a syndicate of several investors whose commitments add up to 20% does not meet the condition. Without that pre-commitment, neither STEP route is viable, whatever the technology looks like.
The two instruments define a qualified investor differently. For the Defence route the test is limited to investor due diligence, KYC and anti-money-laundering standing. The general STEP call adds a sector-knowhow element. If you are close to the line, that difference can decide which route you can actually use.
Non-defence
EIC STEP Scale Up
The general instrument, for companies scaling strategic technologies as defined by the STEP Regulation.
Defence
EIC STEP Scale Up Defence
For companies whose products are primarily defence products. Drones and counter-drone technology are named in scope.
Rules that catch people out
You cannot run two of them in parallel. A company may not have simultaneous submissions to the EIC Accelerator, STEP Scale Up and STEP Scale Up Defence. Choosing the instrument is a real decision, not a matter of applying everywhere.
Three failed Accelerator attempts and you are out. After three unsuccessful attempts a company is excluded from further attempts across Horizon Europe. If you have already spent attempts, that changes which route is sensible.
Financial standing is assessed separately from your technology. The EIC applies the exclusion and rejection grounds of the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, articles 138 and 141. A company in financial difficulty can be excluded regardless of how strong the proposal is. This is a different test from the state-aid definition used in grant programmes, and it is worth checking your own filings against it before you invest months in an application.
Dates can move. The EIC Work Programme allows the opening of a call to shift by up to one month and a deadline by up to two months. Plan against the published dates, but do not build a financing plan that only works if they hold exactly.
And if EUR 10M is more than you need
The EIC Accelerator sits below STEP: a grant of up to EUR 2,499,999 covering 70% of eligible costs, optionally combined with equity of EUR 1-10M. It is the route where a grant component still exists, which matters if you would rather not fund everything with dilution. Full-proposal batches in 2026 close on 2 September and 4 November, and dual-use projects have been allowed since 9 July 2026.
Which of the three fits depends on your capital need, your civil-to-defence mix and your investor base. That is exactly what the Scale Report answers, in writing, before you commit anything.
Not sure which route is yours?
That is the normal starting point. The intake has a not-sure option and the report works out the instrument for you, including an honest no-go where the answer is that none of them fit.
Request your free Scale ReportSource: EIC Work Programme 2026. Eucade advises on the grant component of a funding stack; equity and debt negotiations remain yours.