The Public Notice was approved by Executive Decree No 93 of 21 March 2025, published in BURC No 17 on 24 March.Aid for development and manufacturing of critical technologies – STEP’.
STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) is the Platform established by the European Union (Regulation EU 2024/795) with the aim of stimulating the development of critical and emerging technologies to support the competitiveness of European companies on the world stage, develop domestic capacities, reduce dependence on non-EU countries and address labour and skills shortages in the identified sectors.
Objectives, policy areas and beneficiaries
The Notice, with a total budget of €50 million (Action 1.6.1 – PR Campania FESR 2021/2027), is aimed at developing or manufacturing strategic technologies or safeguarding and strengthening their value chains, in particular as regards the green and digital transition. The proposed actions must cover at least one of the following technology areas (STEP):
- Digital technologies and deep-tech innovation
- Clean and resource-efficient technologies
- Biotechnology
Technologies that meet at least one of the following conditions will be considered critical:
- They bring an innovative, emerging and cutting-edge element to the internal market with significant economic potential.
- Contribute to the reduction or prevention of strategic dependencies of the Union
Eligible interventions must provide for the implementation of:
- Productive investments, necessary for the development or manufacture of the proposed strategic technology or for the safeguarding and strengthening of the value chain related to that technology
- Possible activities of “industrial research” and “experimental development”, functional to productive investments
Potential beneficiaries
Enterprises of any size, in individual or aggregate form, which are established on the date of submission of the application, and which have their operational headquarters as recipients of the intervention, active or to be activated in Campania, are eligible for support.
Eligible expenditure
Productive investment
- Corporate soil and its accommodations
- Masonry and related works and company-specific infrastructures
- Factory new miscellaneous machinery, plants and equipment
- Intangible assets
Research and experimental development activities
- Costs of personnel engaged in experimental research and development activities
- Costs related to instrumentation and equipment, to the extent and for the period in which they are used for the project
- Costs related to buildings, to the extent and for the period in which they are used for the project
- Costs for contract research, patents and consultancy services used exclusively for the purpose of the project
- Other operating costs (raw materials, components, semi-finished products, commercial materials and specific consumables)
The amount of eligible expenditure must not be less than EUR 2 500 000.
Type of aid
Projects will be selected according to the ‘ranking’ procedure. The aid is granted in the form of a grant, for productive investments under the conditions laid down in Article 14 of the GBER and in accordance with the intensities laid down in the Regional Aid Charter 2021-2027, with the increases provided for investments under Regulation (EU) 2024/795 ‘STEP’, for research and development activities, under the conditions and on the basis of the intensities laid down in Article 25(5)(c) of the GBER.
| INTENSITY OF THE CONTRIBUTION | |||
| BUSINESS SIZE | PRODUCTION INVESTMENTS | INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH | EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT |
| MICRO AND SMALL | up to 70% | up to 80% | up to 60% |
| MEDIA | up to 60% | up to 75% | up to 50% |
| BIG | up to 50% | Up to 65% | up to 40% |
Submission of applications
The application for access to the facility, under penalty of exclusion, must be completed and submitted exclusively through the dedicated digital service, called “Application for facilitation for the development and manufacture of critical technologies – STEP” which will be made available on the Catalogue of digital services of the Campania Region accessible at the link https://digital services.regione.campania.it/AiutiSTEP from 00:00 on 16 June 2025 to 23:59 on 7 July 2025, unless extended by the Regional Administration.
Support and questions
The proposing entity can request support and submit questions using the appropriate FAQ form (Frequently Asked Questions), available on the descriptive page of the digital service at the following link: https://servizi-digitali.regione.campania.it/Home/ListaFaq?NomeServizio=AiutiSTEP.
DOCUMENTATION
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English (UK)