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.

 More than 55 SMEs have applied during the first open call, and successful applicants will test their solutions at two UK testbeds – Harwell Campus and Allia Future Business Centre.

 Currently, the SMEs are being carefully selected and matched with the supporting universities. Applicants will be informed of the outcome in March. SMEs that are not selected for the first voucher support are invited to apply again for the second call opening May-June 2021.

 STEPS is a collaborative initiative which aims to strengthen the competitiveness of innovative energy storage providers across North-West Europe. For the UK, the Faraday Institution will serve as the STEPS knowledge partner and Cambridge Cleantech as the STEPS business support partner. Together they will offer SMEs a user-centric, demand-driven approach to bring their products closer to the market through tailored testing. You can find out more about the programme and how STEPS can support you here.