Successful take-off STEPS project
EU FUNDING: 3,04 M € | TOTAL BUDGET: 5,06 M €
Business Support Programme STEPS is a collaborative initiative which aims to strengthen the competitiveness of innovative energy storage providers across North-West Europe.
In March 2021 energy storage technology in North-West Europe will get a boost as the Business Support Programme of STEPS begins. Up to 20 SMEs will each receive €12.5k worth of support from world renowned universities to further develop their energy storage solutions. We are excited to see the great interest in the programme as more than 55 SMEs have applied during this first open call.
Currently, the SMEs are being carefully selected and matched with the supporting universities. Applicants will be informed of the outcome in the beginning of March. SMEs that are not selected for the 1st Voucher Support are invited to apply again for the second call opening May-June 2021.
Bringing innovative energy-storage ideas a step forward
Taking important steps in the field of energy storage. That is the core of the Interreg 5 STEPS program: STorage of Energy & Power Systems. This project is all about innovative companies that develop solutions for the storage of energy. Wendy de Jong, director of lead partner Oost NL, explains what STEPS can mean for energy storage companies in the NWE-region: video
Energy storage is a key step in the energy transition. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy do not constantly supply the same amount of energy, so storage solutions allow for generated power to be released as needed.
Strengthening competitive position
The STEPS partners will strengthen the competitive position of innovative energy storage companies in Northwest Europe. With a user-oriented, demand-driven approach, the project will bring products closer to the market via field labs. In these test environments, the generation and distribution of electricity come together with developers of energy storage products. In this way, parties can further develop their products for the specific electricity market in the country concerned and for Northwest Europe.
Business Support Programme
More than 55 SMEs have already applied during the first call in January. Currently, the SMEs are being carefully selected and matched with the supporting universities. Up to 20 SMEs will each receive €12.5k worth of support from world renowned universities to further develop their energy storage solutions. Applicants will be informed of the outcome in the beginning of March. SMEs that are not selected for the 1st Voucher Support are invited to apply again for the second call opening May-June 2021.
STEPS
In STEPS, business support and knowledge partners from the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom have joined forces to strengthen the competitiveness of innovative energy storage (e-storage) providers in North-West Europe (NWE). The Dutch partners include Oost NL and the University of Twente. The Belgium partners are Provincial Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Oost-Vlaanderen, Flux 50 and Ghent University. The German partners are House of Energy and Technical University of Darmstadt. Our partners from the UK are Cambridge Cleantech and The Faraday Institution. The partners from Ireland are the National university of Galway and Carlwo Kilkenny Energy Agency GLG – TA3 Counties Energy Agency and Galway Energy cooperation. In addition, several field labs and energy cooperatives are involved.
STEPS is a project within the Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) programme. Interreg NWE falls under the European Cohesion Policy and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).