Support is available for innovative operations that result in the production of tradable and internationally marketable goods and services, with high added value and a strong level of national incorporation. These operations must contribute to the objectives of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) through the manufacturing of critical technologies and/or investments that help preserve and strengthen the respective value chains, in the following sectors:
1. Digital technologies: including those contributing to the targets and objectives of the Digital Decade Programme for 2030, and deep-tech innovation;
2. Biotechnologies: including medicines listed by the European Union as critical medicines and their respective components.
Within the scope of STEP objectives, supported investments must aim at the manufacturing of:
a) Final products within the domain of the aforementioned 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 specialized services that are specific and critical to the manufacturing of final products.
Such investments must correspond to an initial investment, or to an initial investment in favour of a new economic activity, and must be related to one of the following types of action:
A fundamental change in the overall production process or in the overall provision of services of an existing establishment.
The establishment of a new facility;
The diversification of the activity of an existing establishment, provided that the new activity is not the same as, nor similar to, the activity previously carried out at that establishment;
The diversification of the production of an establishment into products not previously produced or services not previously provided at that establishment;