About
Innovators Initiative II – STEP
Innovators’ Initiative II – STEP is a national programme delivering regional impact through the development of an industry-led skills and talent pipeline aligned with the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP). It supports immersive, needs-led innovation training programmes within Research Performing Organisations (RPOs), connecting research, industry, and entrepreneurship to advance critical technologies.
Intermediate Body:
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish government’s enterprise development agency. They invest in and support the development of Irish-owned companies on their journey to achieving greater scale and to become global leaders in their field. This provides a platform for strong economic growth and creating and sustaining jobs in communities around the country.
Their teams help Irish companies to develop high-growth strategies and to enter new markets with innovative and sustainable solutions.
Enterprise Ireland has announced a competitive call for applications to the Innovators’ Initiative II – STEP. The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) is an EU initiative established in February 2024 to boost investment in critical technologies within Europe, aimed at enhancing industrial competitiveness and reducing strategic dependencies. It supports deep/digital tech, clean technologies, and biotechnologies by leveraging, reinforcing, and steering existing and new EU funds. These programmes will deliver immersive, needs-led innovation training aligned with STEP, supporting skills development, innovation and downstream commercialisation in sectors of strategic importance to Ireland.
Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) based in the Republic of Ireland are invited to submit applications for funding in accordance with the Innovators’ Initiative II – STEP Call Guidance Document and Application Form. All applicants must comply with the relevant EU regulations as outlined in the Innovators’ Initiative II – STEP Call Guidance Document and Application Form. Failure to do so will render the application ineligible for funding.
The Innovators’ Initiative II -STEP is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 and the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27. The Innovators’ Initiative II STEP will support the following ERDF objectives.
Applications must be submitted within the specified deadlines for consideration.
Policy Objective 1:
A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity.
Specific Objective 1.6.1:
Supporting investments contributing to the objectives of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)
Call Objective:
The objective of this call is to develop new STEP-aligned immersive-based needs-led innovation training programmes, relevant for the development/manufacturing of critical STEP technologies closely aligned to S3 (Smart Specialisation Strategy) in the regions. Programmes will support the EU’s commitment to deep tech, green transition, and digital innovation, ensuring relevance to EU technological and industrial policy.
Eligibility of Applications:
The Initiative is open to publicly funded RPOs based in the Republic of Ireland. Ineligible applicants: Individual companies, clusters of companies or sectoral representative bodies cannot apply directly for funding nor are they eligible for direct funding via the programme budget.
Geographic Regions Covered:
The Enterprise Ireland Innovators’ Initiative is co-funded by two ERDF Regional Programmes. Eligible institutions will be co-funded according to their location within the relevant programme area – the Southern, Eastern & Midland Programme Area or the Northern & Western Programme Area.
Total Amount of Support:
The total budget for supports available is €10.5 million, of which €7m is funded through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 and €3.5m is funded through the Northern & Western Regional Programme 2021-27. The ERDF co-funding is 40% for projects supported under the Southern, Eastern and Midlands Regional Programme 2021-27 and 60% for projects supported under the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27. Contracts will be for a duration of up to four years to accommodate three academic cycles.
Call Start/ End Dates:
The call start date is Wednesday 13 May 2026, and the deadline for applications is 12pm (noon) on Wednesday 8 July 2026. Applications received after this time will not be eligible. Enterprise Ireland may open additional calls for proposals in relation to this initiative subject to the budget availability.
Application Process:
Applications should include an electronic copy (MS Word format and pdf) signed by relevant persons in the Host RPO, sent to innovatorsinitiative@enterprise-ireland.com by the deadline.
Briefing Workshop:
An online briefing workshop on the application and assessment process for the Innovators’ Initiative II STEP was held in March 2026. We strongly recommend that you view the slides from this workshop before applying.
Assessment Meeting:
Following on from the receipt of your applications, you may be invited to meet an assessment panel to discuss your application in further detail in a Q&A session hosted by Enterprise Ireland.
More Information:
For information on the Enterprise Ireland website.