Italian projects with the STEP Seal: map and territorial distribution

This section provides an overview on the data regarding Italian projects awarded with the STEP Seal by the European Commission, the recognition given to high-quality project that meet all the quality requirements established in the relevant calls for proposals under the 5 EU funding programmes: Digital Europe Programme, European Defence Fund, EU4Health, Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund 

As of June 30, 2025, there are 65 STEP Seal projects in Italy, distributed throughout the country. The list, filtered by region, shows a significant presence in areas with a high concentration of research and innovation. Among these, 17 projects are not currently funded by the above-mentioned Programmes in the regions of Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Apulia, Tuscany, Veneto, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, and the Autonomous Province of Trento.  

It should also be noted that STEP Seal projects that have received funding under  Programmes run directly by the Commission may be co-financed by cohesion policy Programmes for the part of the budget remaining after that covered by the Programmes implemented in direct management, in compliance with the principle of prohibiting double funding.  

An illustrative infographic showing the geographical distribution of the projects is available.