EIC STEP Scale Up 2026

Opportunity snapshot

Collection

Horizon Europe

Source / programme

European Union / European Commission · EIC

Status

Open and continuous

Actionability

Continuous or rolling access

Record granularity

Scheme

Verification date

17 Jul 2026

What the opportunity supports

This profile covers the Horizon Europe call or topic “EIC STEP Scale Up 2026”. The official targeting includes: Requires EUR 50-150m round, investor pre-commitment and strong EU strategic relevance.

Thematic fit

Large scale-up rounds in critical technologies

Egypt eligibility and applicant role

Egyptian SMEs and small mid-caps may apply directly; an investor may submit on behalf of the eligible company.

Egyptian participation is subject to the live call, topic conditions, General Annexes and any strategic, security, ownership, control or establishment restrictions.

Best-fit applicants

Single SMEs/small mid-caps in STEP critical technologies; investors may apply on behalf of company.

Funding and instrument

Funding scale

EUR 10-30m equity investment, intended to catalyse a EUR 50-150m funding round; 2026 call budget EUR 300m.

Instrument

Equity-only EIC Fund investment of EUR 10-30m; no grant component.

Scale basis

Exact/structured amount

Co-financing

Not a grant co-financing rate - Equity investment; applicant must evidence the wider financing round and investment readiness

Access and co-financing

Not a grant co-financing rate - Equity investment; applicant must evidence the wider financing round and investment readiness

Submission timing

1. Continuous Submissiontype=continuous_submission | stage=Not applicable | date=Not applicable | continuous=true | confirmed=true | estimated=false · continuous

Applicant positioning

Secure a qualified-investor pre-commitment, evidence a EUR 50-150m round, explain STEP strategic relevance and show how the EIC investment catalyses private capital.

Strategic fit and caveats

Large-ticket, equity-only and highly selective. Investor pre-commitment and strategic-technology fit are hard gates.

Priority

Very High

Priority rationale

for eligible companies

Verification confidence

High

Horizon classification

Programme family

Horizon Europe

Pillar / programme part

Pillar III · EIC

Call / topic ID

HORIZON-EIC-2026-STEP-SCALEUP-01

Call year

2026

Action type

EIC equity

Record granularity

Scheme

Egyptian private-sector role

Egyptian SMEs and small mid-caps may apply directly; an investor may submit on behalf of the eligible company.

Coordination eligibility

Not applicable - direct applicant route

Access family

Direct applicant

Consortium and beneficiary conditions

Mono-beneficiary status

Yes

Consortium conditions

Single-company investment; investor may submit on behalf of company

Funding and financial burden

Indicative project ticket

EUR 10-30m equity investment, intended to catalyse a EUR 50-150m funding round; 2026 call budget EUR 300m.

Call budget

Not specified

Expected awards

Not specified

Funding rate

Equity-only EIC Fund investment of EUR 10-30m; no grant component.

Co-financing

Not a grant co-financing rate - Equity investment; applicant must evidence the wider financing round and investment readiness

TRL and maturity

TRL range

Not specified

Maturity

Late-stage scale-up: validated technology, market traction and a major investment round.

Restrictions and screening

Strategic restrictions

Possible — review required

Security restrictions

No special restriction identified at profile level

Ownership / control restrictions

Possible — review required

Establishment restrictions

No special restriction identified at profile level

Screening note

Large-ticket, equity-only and highly selective. Investor pre-commitment and strategic-technology fit are hard gates.

Source and verification

Adopted EIC 2026 work programme and official EIC source; live Funding & Tenders Portal recheck required