South-West Oltenia RP STEP: €27.6 million for strategic technologies, deadline 18 January 2027

The South-West Oltenia Regional Programme 2021-2027 launched the competitive call "Support for the development of strategic technologies" on 19 October 2026, with a budget of €27,631,500 from the ERDF. SMEs, large enterprises and research organisations in Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt and Vâlcea counties can apply for grants of between €500,000 and €10,000,000 for digital and deep-tech technologies, clean technologies and biotechnologies. Applications are submitted in MySMIS2021 until 18 January 2027, 12:00.

In brief

• Programme: South-West Oltenia Regional Programme 2021-2027, Priority 9 "Strategic technologies", specific objective RSO1.6 (investments contributing to the objectives of the STEP platform)
• Authority: ADR South-West Oltenia, as Managing Authority
• Beneficiaries: SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes and centres, which can apply alone or in partnership
• Total budget: €27,631,500 (ERDF)
• Value per project: between €500,000 and €10,000,000 in non-refundable funding
• Intensity: varies by type of aid (regional, research and development, or de minimis) and by applicant category
• Submission period: 19 October 2026, 12:00 – 18 January 2027, 12:00
• Status: call launched, with the applicant's guide in its final form

What happened and what has changed since the summer?

In August 2026, the guide was in public consultation, and comments could be sent until 27 August. At that point, ADR South-West Oltenia had not yet set the submission period. The call is now officially open, the final guide can be downloaded from the ADR website, and the calendar is fixed: roughly three months for submission, until mid-January 2027.

This is a competitive call with a deadline. What matters is therefore the quality of the project at evaluation, not the order in which applications are submitted. The exchange rate used for the call is the October 2026 one: €1 = 5.2786 lei (RON).

Who can apply?

The following can apply, alone or in partnership:

• micro-enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises;
• large enterprises;
• universities, research institutes and centres.

Research organisations face an important limit: they can receive funds only for research and development activities and for the de minimis component. The investment must be made in the South-West Oltenia Region, that is, in Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt or Vâlcea counties.

Which costs are eligible?

The guide divides activities into three categories, each funded through a different type of state aid:

1. Initial investments (regional aid, Article 14 GBER): creating or expanding infrastructure for STEP technologies, i.e. construction works, utilities and connections, equipment and machinery. Four types of investment are accepted: a new unit, expanding the capacity of an existing unit, diversifying production with products or services the company has not made before, and a fundamental change in the production process.
2. Research and development projects (Article 25 GBER): industrial research and experimental development in STEP fields, contract research, acquisition of patents, feasibility studies, as well as equipment and technologies for exploiting the results. Equipment is funded only if it accompanies research activities.
3. De minimis aid: mandatory information and publicity, project management and development of STEP skills, within the de minimis ceiling of €300,000 per single undertaking over any three-year period (Regulation (EU) 2023/2831).

The guide also requires a main activity, which must account for at least 50% of the eligible budget, directly support the project's objective and fall within the mandatory eligible activities. Ineligible costs and the part of eligible costs that the grant does not cover are paid from the applicant's own contribution.

What special conditions should you watch?

• Production diversification: eligible costs must exceed the book value of the reused assets by at least 200%.
• Fundamental change of process, for large enterprises: eligible costs must exceed the depreciation of the assets linked to the modernised activity over the last three financial years.
• Market orientation: the call targets ideas that can move from research and testing to new products, processes or services placed on the market.

How and by when do you apply?

The funding application is submitted electronically in MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+, between 19 October 2026, 12:00, and 18 January 2027, 12:00. The applicant's guide and annexes are published on the ADR South-West Oltenia website. The official call page on oportunitati-ue.gov.ro summarises the activity categories and conditions.

What this means for your business

The recommendations below are our opinion as consultants, not provisions of the guide.

• The call is suitable for companies that already have a technology or product under development in a STEP field (software and deep-tech, clean technologies, biotechnologies and pharmaceutical products) and want to move to production or large-scale testing. For ordinary modernisation, without a strategic technology component, the call is not suitable.
• Work out the split by type of aid early. The same project can combine regional aid, research and development aid and de minimis aid, each with its own intensity. An incorrect budget split is a frequent cause of corrections at evaluation.
• Check the de minimis ceiling your company has used over the last three years before you put any costs under the de minimis component.
• A partnership with a university or institute can strengthen the research component. Roles and costs must, however, be clearly divided, because research organisations have access only to certain costs.
• Three months is short for a project worth several million euro with construction works: the technical documentation, permits and proof of co-financing must be started now.

If you are not sure your company qualifies, you can start with the eligibility check or consult the programme page.

Frequently asked questions

Can a large company from Oltenia apply to the STEP call?

Yes. Large enterprises are eligible alongside SMEs and research organisations. If the project is of the "fundamental change of the production process" type, eligible costs must exceed the depreciation of the related assets over the last three financial years.

What are the minimum and maximum grant values?

The non-refundable funding requested for a project must be between €500,000 and €10,000,000. The total budget of the call is €27,631,500.

Can a university and a company apply together?

Yes. The guide allows individual or partnership applications. Universities, institutes and research centres can receive funding only for research and development activities and for the de minimis component.

What is the submission deadline?

Submission is open in MySMIS2021 between 19 October 2026, 12:00, and 18 January 2027, 12:00. The call is competitive, with a deadline, so projects are ranked after evaluation.

Are construction works funded, not just equipment?

Yes, for initial investments funded as regional aid: construction works for creating or expanding infrastructure, utilities and connections, plus the specific equipment and machinery.

Official sources

• EU Opportunities (MIPE) – the South-West Oltenia Regional Programme publishes the competitive call "Support for the development of strategic technologies"
• EU Opportunities – call sheet "Support for the development of strategic technologies"
• ADR South-West Oltenia – public consultation on the guide (August 2026)
• ADR South-West Oltenia – launch announcement of 19 October 2026 and the applicant's guide

Information checked on 20 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.