04/03/2025 (Agence Europe) – The Strategic Technology for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) is already a year old, and its implementation has mobilised more than €15 billion for projects in cutting-edge digital technologies, clean technologies and biotechnologies. €9.1 billion of this investment comes from five European Commission programmes: Digital Europe; the European Defence Fund; the ‘EU4Health’ programme; Horizon Europe; and the Innovation Fund. In addition, €6.1 billion will come from the Cohesion Fund, in eleven different Member States. Furthermore, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, raised the idea of broadening the scope of the ‘STEP’ platform in her defence-funding proposals on Tuesday 4 March (see other news), to include all technologies relevant to the defence sector. (LM)