Delivering STEP: the role of Regions in advancing Europe’s Strategic Technologies

From strategy to impact: the event showcases how Regions are transforming the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) into concrete investments that strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and technological sovereignty. The initiative will examine the European strategic framework, national coordination and the experiences of the Algarve, Sicily and Campania regions. Algarve, Sicily and Campania provide three significant examples of how European Regions are translating STEP priorities into concrete action. The Sicilian Region and the Campania Region are among the first Italian regional administrations to have integrated STEP into the revision of their respective ERDF Regional Programmes 2021-2027, while the Algarve Region offers a complementary perspective from the Portuguese context. Through a dialogue between the European Commission, represented by a member of the STEP Task Force (DG BUDG), the Italian Government and Regional Administrations, the event will provide a multi-level perspective on the implementation of STEP within the framework of Cohesion Policy, highlighting its opportunities, challenges and future outlook, both for the current 2021-2027 programming period and in preparation for the post-2027 Cohesion Policy.