FRA9 · 03/09/2026 · Digital & artificial intelligence
EIC STEP Scale Up 2026: €10–30m for European deeptech scale-ups
French AI and strategic-technology scale-ups can seek €10–30m in EIC equity; the next 2026 proposal batching dates are 9 September and 25 November.
French AI and strategic-technology scale-ups can seek €10–30m in EIC equity; the next 2026 proposal batching dates are 9 September and 25 November.
Two dates matter: 9 September and 25 November
The EIC STEP Scale Up call remains continuously open, but proposals are grouped for evaluation on set dates. After the May sessions, the two remaining 2026 batching dates announced by the EIC are 9 September and 25 November. A company that is not ready for September should not submit an artificially incomplete file: the November batch is a second preparation milestone, subject to confirmation on the official call and Funding & Tenders portal.
This is not an early-stage grant
STEP Scale Up offers equity investments of €10 million to €30 million per company, subject to selection, checks and negotiation. The scheme aims to leverage private co-investment and produce financing rounds of €50 million to €150 million or more. It is therefore neither a first proof-of-concept award nor a small product grant: the company must already own a strategic technology and be preparing a European-scale growth step.
A €300 million budget for 2026
The European Innovation Council reports a €300 million budget for the 2026 call. It targets digital technologies, clean and resource-efficient technologies, including net zero, and biotechnologies. A French AI company may qualify when its technology fits the strategic objectives and required maturity; adding a generative feature to an existing service does not automatically make a business a STEP candidate.
What the July selection shows
In the selection announced on 28 July, 24 companies submitted proposals, 17 were invited to interview and six met all criteria before investment decisions and due diligence. Three French companies were in that group: Cailabs, SiPearl and Vsora. They illustrate the intended scope—laser communications, sovereign processors and AI inference acceleration—without creating an automatic preference for a nationality or sector.
The application must explain the entire round
Applicants need to show why private capital alone is not yet sufficient, which European strategic dependency the technology reduces and how EIC money fits into a much larger round. The file should document investors approached, cap table, total need, industrial milestones, revenue, intellectual property, governance and use of proceeds. An ambitious valuation without evidence of traction, production readiness or co-investment is not a credible scale-up plan.
Evaluation, interview and due diligence
An interview invitation is not an award. Independent experts evaluate the proposal; selected companies then face an EIC Fund investment decision, due diligence and negotiation of terms. The July announcement explicitly makes the expected amounts conditional on successful completion of those steps. A company’s cash plan and delivery schedule should never assume that money becomes available immediately after submission or interview.
The STEP Seal is useful but is not investment
Companies judged excellent may receive a STEP Seal even when the session cannot finance them within the available budget. The seal can support access to complementary or alternative finance and EIC Business Acceleration Services, but it is not a transfer, equity commitment or guarantee of a future round. Financial planning must separate selection, the seal, negotiation and actual receipt of funds.
The practical decision for a French scale-up
Target September only if the round, co-investors, financial records and technology case are sufficiently mature. Otherwise use 25 November as the preparation milestone and recheck the European portal. A younger company or smaller funding need should compare EIC Accelerator, Bourse French Tech, French Tech Emergence, Innov’up and the France 2030 routes listed in the FRA9 funding desk instead.
Read next
