"taking substantial steps" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to the actions taken towards achieving a goal, especially if those actions are seen to be big or significant. For example, "The company has been taking substantial steps towards becoming carbon-neutral by the end of the year."
Lansley said the coalition had taken substantial steps to turn around the CQC and help Morecambe Bay trust.
Dr. Eydelman said the company had "taken substantial steps" to address safety concerns, making "many device modifications".
By holding credible elections earlier this year and through other recent developments, the Iranian government has taken substantial steps towards reform in Iran (Editorial, 20 September).
Britain has taken substantial steps forward since my mum's first days here but the undercurrents of bigotry are still strong.
In the case of Express Scripts, the acquisition agreement's hell-or-high-water provisions require Express Scripts to take substantial steps to obtain antitrust clearance.
He said that cycling's governing body, which strongly rejected doping allegations during the 1990s, has taken substantial steps against doping.
Teams have come close in the last five years, like West Virginia under Rich Rodriguez and Cincinnati under Brian Kelly, but both programs took substantial steps back once those coaches departed for more prestigious programs.
Under the rules, which take effect in January of next year, lenders cannot make so-called "no documentation" loans or offer deceptively low "teaser" interest rates, and they must take substantial steps to make sure that the borrower can afford to repay the loan.
It added that forces had taken "substantial steps" to protect front line roles.
Here we have taken substantial steps towards identifying additional specific compounds associated with favourable and unfavourable consumer responses to rice aromatic quality.
