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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, called 'STEP – Biotechnologie – Innowacyjne technologie krytyczne, Ścieżka A', aims to fund investment projects within the biotechnology sector. Its core objective is to support the production of critical technologies or elements of their value chains that introduce innovative, state-of-the-art, or breakthrough components with significant economic potential to the internal market. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, exclusively targeting the biotechnology sector. The geographic scope for project implementation is Poland, but the impact of the technology must extend to the European internal market (European Economic Area and Switzerland) and potentially internationally. The grant primarily targets established businesses, including small, medium, and large enterprises, that demonstrate financial stability and a proven track record. It is not designed for early-stage startups or research-focused entities, as the emphasis is on manufacturing and scaling critical technologies. This is a recurring grant program within the broader Fundusze Europejskie dla Nowoczesnej Gospodarki (FENG) framework, specifically under the STEP initiative.

Financial Structure

This grant offers significant financial support but comes with clear rules on eligible costs, co-financing, and reporting. Funding Amounts

Total Call Budget: The overall budget allocated for projects under this call is 150,000,000 PLN.
Minimum Eligible Project Cost: Your project's total eligible costs must be at least 10,000,000 PLN.
Maximum Grant Amount per Project: The maximum grant amount you can receive for a single project is 150,000,000 PLN.

Co-financing and Matching Funds

Mandatory Own Contribution: You are required to provide an own contribution of at least 25% of the eligible costs covered by regional investment aid. This contribution must be in monetary form and cannot originate from public funds.
Higher Intensities: Grant intensity (percentage of eligible costs covered) varies based on the type of aid, your company's size (SME vs. large enterprise), and project location. For instance:
Regional Investment Aid: Intensity depends on the region and enterprise size, as per the regional aid map (e.g., 15% to 50%).
Advisory, Innovation Support, Training Aid: Generally up to 50% of eligible costs, with potential increases for SMEs.
Environmental Protection, Energy Efficiency, Renewables: Intensities typically range from 30% to 50%, with potential increases for SMEs and project location.

Eligible and Ineligible Costs

Eligible Costs: Generally include expenses directly related to the investment project and incurred after the application submission date (with exceptions for some de minimis costs). Categories include:
Land and Built Properties: Costs of acquiring land or built properties are eligible, but limited to 10% of total eligible costs (or 15% for abandoned/post-industrial sites with buildings).
Fixed Assets (Środki trwałe): Purchase of new fixed assets (excluding real estate), including installation and commissioning. For SMEs, used assets may be eligible. Financial leasing is also eligible under specific conditions.
Construction Works: Costs of acquiring construction works and materials.
Intangible Assets (Wartości niematerialne i prawne): Costs of acquiring patents, licenses, know-how, and other intellectual property rights. These must be used exclusively in the aided facility, amortizable, acquired under market conditions from unrelated third parties, and remain with the project for 5 years (3 years for SMEs). For large enterprises, these are capped at 50% of total eligible initial investment costs; for SMEs, they can be 100%.
Advisory Services: For SMEs, costs of external advisory services (non-continuous, non-operational). Also eligible for large enterprises under de minimis aid.
Innovation Support: For SMEs, costs for external services like data banks, cloud services, market research, laboratory services, testing, certification. Also eligible for large enterprises under de minimis aid.
Training Costs: For both SMEs and large enterprises, costs directly related to training services (lecturer fees, venue, materials, travel, accommodation for participants). Excludes mandatory national training, general business training, or management development.
Environmental Protection: Investments leading to higher environmental protection (e.g., new components, dedicated infrastructure for renewable hydrogen, CO2 capture/transport, energy efficiency measures, circular economy initiatives).
De Minimis Aid: For specific items like advisory services, software subscriptions, and innovation support, subject to de minimis limits (generally up to €300,000 per single undertaking over three fiscal years).
Ineligible Costs: Include, but are not limited to:
VAT (unless you have no legal right to deduct or reclaim it).
Costs incurred before the application submission date (except specific de minimis aid).
Investments in production, processing, transport, distribution, storage, or burning of fossil fuels (including gas-powered equipment).
Solutions for exclusively military use.
Costs not directly related to achieving environmental objectives (for environmental aid).

Payment Schedule and Mechanisms

Advance Payments: The first payment will be an advance, at least 5% of the grant amount, but no more than 10 million PLN. Total advances cannot exceed 90% of the grant amount.
Payment Requests: Payment requests must be submitted via the CST2021 system at least every 6 months.

Financial Reporting and Guarantees

Financial Model: You must submit a financial model (Model finansowy) as an annex to your application, which will be evaluated against your entire business operations.
Financial Guarantees: Your financial viability will be assessed based on your application, publicly available registers, financial statements for the last three years, and the financial model. If external financing (e.g., credit) is part of your plan, its credibility will be verified.
Delayed Documentation: If you cannot provide financial statements (confirming SME status or no 'undertaking in difficulty' status) or investment permits (e.g., building permit) before signing the agreement, the agreement may still be signed, but grant payments will be withheld until these documents are submitted. You proceed with the project at your own risk in such cases.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for this grant, your business must meet several strict, non-negotiable criteria: Eligible Organization Types and Size

Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MŚP): Defined according to Annex I of EU Commission Regulation No 651/2014. This typically includes enterprises with:
Micro: fewer than 10 employees, turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million.
Small: fewer than 50 employees, turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €10 million.
Medium: fewer than 250 employees, turnover not exceeding €50 million or balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million.
Large Enterprises: Defined as enterprises that do not meet the MŚP criteria.

Operational and Financial Track Record

Operating History: Your company must have been actively operating for at least 36 months and have 3 closed financial years (obrotowe) by the application submission date.
Revenue Requirement: You must demonstrate average operating revenues of at least 20% of the project's eligible costs over the last 3 closed financial years.
Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV): If your applicant is an SPV, the 36-month operating history and 20% revenue requirements apply to the parent company (spółka dominująca).

Geographic and Legal Requirements

Legal Registration: Your business must be registered and conducting operations in Poland (Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) as confirmed by relevant official registers (KRS or CEIDG).
Headquarters/Branch: If registered in KRS, your company's registered office or at least one branch must be in Poland. The parent entity (if any) must be located in an EU member state, EEA country, or Switzerland.
Operational Address: If registered in CEIDG, at least one business address must be in Poland.

Project-Specific Eligibility

Biotechnology Focus: Your project must fall squarely within the biotechnology sector as defined in Article 2(1)(a)(iii) of EU Regulation 2024/795 and adhere to the specific critical technologies and areas listed in Annex 1 of the 'Regulamin wyboru projektów'. Projects outside these specified areas will not be supported.
Manufacturing Focus: The project must specifically involve the 'manufacturing' (wytwarzanie) of critical technologies or elements of their value chain. This includes:
Creating production lines.
Establishing 'first-of-its-kind' facilities.
Expanding or repurposing existing facilities.
Scaling up processes to meet demand.
Implementing quality control mechanisms.
Exclusion Criteria: Your project cannot involve:
Installation or implementation of final products.
Production, processing, transport, distribution, storage, or burning of fossil fuels.
Solutions exclusively for military use.
Activities excluded by specific EU regulations (e.g., Article 1 of Regulation 651/2014, Article 1 of Regulation 2023/2831, Article 7 of Regulation 2021/1058).
Activities excluded by Polish Ministerial Regulation of November 7, 2022. This will be assessed based on your project description and PKD codes.

Application Process

Applying for this grant involves a structured process with specific deadlines and required documentation. Application Timeline and Deadlines

Application Submission Window: Applications open on July 22, 2025, and close on September 9, 2025, at 16:00 (Warsaw time, as recorded by the PARP server). This deadline may be shortened (but not before 40 days from announcement) or extended under specific circumstances (e.g., increased funding, high application volume, technical issues).
Contest Announcement: June 30, 2025.
Evaluation Period: Expected to take a maximum of 100 days from the submission deadline if up to 60 applications are received (40 days for Stage I). If more than 60 applications, the evaluation period will be extended by 20 days for every additional block of 60 applications.

Application Process and Submission

Online Submission: Applications and all required attachments must be submitted exclusively through the LSI (Local System of Information) online platform: https://lsi.parp.gov.pl.
Language: The application must be completed in Polish. Any documents in foreign languages must be translated into Polish by a certified sworn translator.
Completeness: You are responsible for accurately completing the application form according to the provided 'Instrukcja wypełniania wniosku o dofinansowanie' (Application Completion Guide). Incomplete applications or those not allowing for full assessment against criteria may be rejected.
No Changes After Submission: Once submitted, you cannot make changes to your application. Exceptions for corrections or clarifications may be allowed during the evaluation process upon request from the Intermediate Body (IP/PARP).
Withdrawal: You may withdraw your application at any time before the final approval of project evaluation results, or before signing the agreement if selected for funding. Withdrawal requires submitting a scanned or electronic letter via LSI.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form: Official template (Annex 7 to RWP).
Financial Model: A detailed financial model (Model finansowy, v121, mandatory from July 24, 2025) and its instruction (Annex 5 to RWP). This model reflects your entire business activity.
Documents for Financial Viability: Evidence confirming financing for your own contribution (e.g., bank statements, loan agreements) must be attached to the application.
Power of Attorney: If representatives without direct registration rights participate in the Stage II Panel discussion.
Various Declarations/Statements: Related to VAT eligibility, control of the company, compliance with EU/national regulations, no outstanding debts, no 'undertaking in difficulty' status, and non-sanctioned activities/entities.
Criminal Record Certificate: Required for verification purposes.

Support Offered and Communication

Support Type: The grant primarily provides funding for investment projects. Additionally, it can cover costs for advisory services, training, and innovation support activities.
Communication: Primary communication is electronic via LSI and the email addresses provided in your application. For technical issues with LSI, specific forms and contact methods are provided.
Questions: Inquiries about the grant conditions can be made via a contact form on the call page, email ([email protected]), or phone (22 574 07 07 or 801 332 202). FAQ will be published online.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Project Duration: Not explicitly stated, but the typical duration of investment projects is usually a few years. Payments are made every 6 months via payment requests.
Post-Award Obligations: If successful, beneficiaries have significant information and promotion obligations, including displaying EU/national logos, informative signs (for projects over €500,000), website descriptions, and specific hashtags for communications. Larger projects (over €10 million) may require organizing promotional events.
Waste Management: Obligation to manage waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy and relevant Polish law.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are assessed in two stages, with specific scoring criteria at each stage. Only projects passing Stage I proceed to Stage II. Stage I Evaluation (Obligatory - Pass/Fail) To proceed to Stage II, your project must score 1 point on each of the following 5 criteria (a score of 0 on any criterion means disqualification):

Applicant Eligibility: Verification that your company meets all formal requirements regarding operational history, revenue, and legal status in Poland.
Project Location: Confirmation that the project will be physically implemented within Poland.
Biotechnology Sector Alignment: The project's alignment with the defined biotechnology sector and critical technologies/value chains as specified in the grant documents.
Critical Technology Manufacturing: Confirmation that the project is focused on the 'manufacturing' aspect of critical technologies, as opposed to R&D or end-product installation.
Exclusion Compliance: Verification that the project does not involve any activities explicitly excluded from funding, such as fossil fuels or military applications.

Stage II Evaluation (Scoring - Minimum 11 points, Maximum 26 points) Projects are scored based on the following criteria, with specific point ranges and minimums:

Critical Technology Potential (0, 1, 2, 4, or 5 points): This is a crucial criterion evaluating whether the technology or its value chain component:
- Introduces an innovative, state-of-the-art, or breakthrough element to the EU internal market (requires at least two of these).
- Demonstrates significant economic potential by positively impacting the internal market, with effects beyond your current operations and potential for external impacts in other EU member states (e.g., economic growth, increased exports, new jobs, increased R&D investment in the EU).
- If a value chain project, contributes to the protection and strengthening of the critical technology value chain.
- Additional points (up to 4) are awarded for breakthrough technology or meeting all innovative/state-of-the-art/breakthrough conditions.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Applicant Potential (0, 1, 2, or 3 points): Assesses your capacity to deliver the project:
- Readiness of investment actions, including necessary permits, licenses, and intellectual property rights (or their probable acquisition).
- Sufficiency of technical and human resources (including management team experience and project management structure).
- Clarity and realism of the project implementation schedule.
- Additional points (up to 2) are awarded for possessing a valid building permit (if applicable) or a demonstrated track record of successful market implementation of other biotech projects.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Project Expenses and Public Aid Compliance (0 or 1 point): Ensures that:
- Requested eligible costs (minimum 10 million PLN) and maximum funding (up to 150 million PLN) comply with limits and intensity rates.
- All expenses are necessary, directly related to the project, reasonable, and correctly categorized.
- The project adheres to public aid regulations, including initial investment definitions, co-financing requirements (at least 25% of eligible costs), and specific aid categories (e.g., advisory, innovation, training, environmental).
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Financial Viability (0 or 1 point): Evaluation of whether you have adequate and credible funding sources (including own funds and external financing like loans) to cover all project costs, including co-financing.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Project Profitability (0 or 1 point): Assessment of the project's financial feasibility based on financial forecasts (revenue, costs) and key indicators like Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR).
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Project Indicators (0 or 1 point): Checks for adequate, measurable, consistent, verifiable, and achievable product and outcome indicators, with clearly defined baseline, target values, and verification methods. Environmental indicators are assessed under 'Sustainable Development'.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Incentive Effect (0 or 1 point): Confirms that the project has not commenced before the application submission date. Exceptions apply for some 'de minimis' aid costs.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Sustainable Development (0 or 1 point): Assesses compliance with EU sustainable development principles, 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH), and the UN SDGs. This includes demonstrating positive environmental impact (e.g., adherence to at least two '6R principles' - refuse, reduce, reuse, recover, recycle, rethink - or other positive environmental aspects), supported by relevant environmental indicators.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Equal Opportunities and Non-discrimination (0 or 1 point): Ensures the project promotes equal opportunities and non-discrimination, including accessibility for people with disabilities and gender equality, aligning with relevant EU guidelines.
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights (0 or 1 point): Verifies the project's adherence to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (specifically Articles 1, 3-8, 10, 15, 20-23, 25-28, 30-33).
- Minimum required: 1 point.
Compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (0 or 1 point): Confirms alignment with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (specifically Articles 2-7, 9, 27).
- Minimum required: 1 point.

Facultative Criterion (Additional Points)

Project Impact Scope (0, 3, 6, or 9 points): Assesses the broader positive societal, economic, environmental, or climate impacts beyond the project's direct goals. Points are awarded if the project:
- Increases your company's global market significance.
- Demonstrates significant market growth potential for the critical technology (EU and international).
- Positively influences competitiveness and market structure.
- Achieving one of these adds 3 points, two adds 6 points, and all three adds 9 points.

Tie-Breaking Criteria If multiple projects achieve the same score and funding is insufficient for all, the following criteria will determine priority: 1. National Key Cluster Membership: Preference for applicants who have been a member of a National Key Cluster for at least 6 months prior to application. 2. Woman-led Enterprise: Preference for applicants where at least one woman has been a partner, shareholder, or management board member actively involved in decision-making for at least 6 months prior to application.

Compliance & Special Requirements

This grant has extensive compliance, regulatory, and special requirements that applicants must adhere to throughout the project lifecycle. Regulatory and Legal Compliance

EU Regulations: The grant operates under various EU regulations, including the STEP Regulation (EU 2024/795), the Critical Raw Materials Act (EU 2024/1252), and general regulations concerning EU funds (e.g., EU 2021/1060, EU 651/2014 for state aid).
National Law: Compliance with Polish laws, including the 'ustawa wdrożeniowa' (implementation act for EU funds), Public Finance Act, Public Aid Act, and Electronic Delivery Act.
Environmental Compliance: Projects must adhere to relevant environmental protection laws and the 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principle. This includes:
Demonstrating positive environmental impact, for example, by applying at least two of the 6R principles: refuse, reduce, reuse, recover, recycle, rethink.
Proper waste management in line with the waste hierarchy and the Polish Waste Act.
Exclusion of investments in fossil fuel production, processing, transport, distribution, storage, or burning.
Ethical Standards and Fundamental Rights: Projects must comply with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This means ensuring that the project's implementation and impact respect fundamental rights, non-discrimination, and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Labor Standards: While not explicitly detailed, compliance with labor standards is implied through general legal obligations in Poland.
Industry-Specific Regulations: As a biotechnology grant, compliance with relevant industry-specific regulations and quality standards is expected.

Technical and Quality Standards

Quality Control: Projects involving manufacturing must include mechanisms to ensure consistent high-quality production.
Intellectual Property (IP) Policies: If the project involves IP, you must demonstrate regulated legal rights to the IP (e.g., transferred proprietary copyrights, licenses, patent rights), especially for commercial purposes.

Risk Management and Security

Risk Identification: Your application should identify key risks associated with the project and propose mitigation actions, particularly regarding the market potential of the critical technology.

Special Considerations and Strategic Alignment

Incentive Effect: A critical requirement is that the project has not started before the grant application submission. This proves that the funding is genuinely an 'incentive' for undertaking the project.
Monitoring and Evaluation: The project's planned results must be reflected in measurable product and outcome indicators, with clear baseline and target values, and methods for verification. This ensures accountability for achieving the promised impact.
Strategic Alignment: The grant strongly aligns with the EU's STEP initiative, aiming to strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy in critical technologies. Projects demonstrating a broader impact on the EU internal market, beyond just the national scope, are highly valued.
Inclusivity and Diversity: While not an explicit eligibility criterion, the tie-breaking factor favoring women-led/co-led businesses encourages diversity.
Knowledge Sharing: Beneficiaries are obligated to fulfill extensive information and promotion duties, including using EU and national visual identities on project materials, websites, and during public events. This indicates an expectation for transparency and public awareness of funded projects.

Grant Details