ADR Sud-Vest Oltenia (South-West Oltenia Regional Development Agency) has relaunched the public consultation for the STEP call under Priority 9. The budget is 27.6 million euros, and grants can reach up to 10 million euros per project. The consultation closes on August 27, 2026.
The call has a budget of 27,631,500 euros from the European Regional Development Fund, and grants range from 500,000 to 10 million euros per project. In terms of magnitude, it is the most substantial regional call for companies in Oltenia.
The minimum threshold of 500,000 euros completely changes the applicant profile compared to standard calls for micro-enterprises. We are not talking about purchasing some equipment here, but about large-scale technological investment projects that require significant financial and managerial capacity.
Eligibility, however, is broader than usual. Micro-enterprises, SMEs, large enterprises, and research organizations from Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt, and Vâlcea can apply. The inclusion of large enterprises is a notable exception, justified by the strategic nature of the STEP sectors.
The funding targets investments in digital and deep-tech technologies, clean technologies, and biotechnologies. The co-financing rate varies depending on the applicant category and the applicable aid scheme, and details can be found in the guide.
The fact that the guide was relaunched for consultation on August 5, 2026, which is relatively late in the year, raises a scheduling question. If the usual pattern repeats, the submission opening would follow one to three months after the consultation closes on August 27, which would place the launch in the autumn of 2026.
The inclusion of large enterprises among eligible beneficiaries is an exception worth highlighting. In most calls from Regional Programs, large companies are excluded, precisely to concentrate funds on the SME segment. For STEP calls, the logic is reversed: the objective is to develop strategic technological capacity, and this often involves actors with significant resources.
For Oltenia, a region with one of the lowest entrepreneurial densities in the country and heavily affected by the restructuring of the energy sector, a call with grants up to ten million euros raises a legitimate question regarding the number of eligible projects that can be generated locally. It is possible that part of the allocation will remain unconsumed, which would increase the chances for serious applicants.
What you need to know
- Budget: 27,631,500 EUR ERDF
- Grant: 500,000 - 10,000,000 EUR per project
- Eligible: micro, SMEs, large enterprises, and research organizations from Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt, Vâlcea
- Public consultation: August 5 - 27, 2026
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