What is it? The new Innovative Machinery tender supports the creation, in the territories of the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily, of investment programs aimed at enabling the technological and digital transformation of the company or at encouraging the transition of the manufacturing sector towards the paradigm of the circular economy. The measure supports innovative investments which, through the technological and digital transformation of the company through the use of enabling technologies relating to the Enterprise 4.0 plan and/or the transition of the company towards the circular economy paradigm, are able to increase the level of efficiency and flexibility of the company in carrying out its economic activity, through the purchase of machinery, plants and equipment strictly functional to the implementation of investment programs, as well as IT programs and licenses related to the use of the aforementioned tangible assets. The facilitation intervention was defined within the national operational program "Business and competitiveness" 2014-2020 ERDF for which it allows the activation of already allocated community resources. The financial allocation foreseen for the opening of the second desk, under Axis III, Action 3.1.1 of the national operational program "Enterprises and competitiveness" 2014-2020 ERDF, is equal to euro 132,500,000.00.
Who is it aimed at?
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from the relief if, on the date of submission of the application: – they are duly incorporated and registered in the Business Register, – they are in the full and free exercise of their rights and are not in voluntary liquidation or subjected to insolvency proceedings, – are in the ordinary accounting regime and have at least two approved financial statements filed with the Business Register, or have submitted, in the case of sole proprietorships and partnerships, at least two tax returns, – are in compliance with current legislation on construction and urban planning, labor and environmental protection, as well as with contributory obligations, - have not carried out, in the two years preceding the submission of the application, a relocation to the subject production unit of the investment, – are not among the subjects who have received and subsequently not reimbursed or deposited in a blocked account, the aid considered illegal or incompatible by the European Commission, – are not in conditions such as to be companies in difficulty. In implementation of the regulations in force regarding access to structural funds and in particular of the provisions introduced by article 1, paragraph 821 of the 2016 Stability Law, freelancers registered with professional associations or members of the professional associations identified in the the list kept by the Ministry of Economic Development pursuant to law 14 January 2013, n. 4 and in possession of the certificate issued in compliance with the same law. In order to facilitate access to the benefits of entities that implement investment programs characterized by common development objectives, companies, up to a maximum of six co-proposing entities, in possession of the requirements established by the legislation that sign up to a network contract on the condition that this contract constitutes an effective, stable and coherent collaboration with the objectives of strengthening competitiveness and technological development connected to the implementation of the proposed programmes.
What does it predict
The eligible investment programs must include expenses of no less than 400,000.00 euros and no more than 3,000,000.00 euros. In the case of programs presented by business networks, the minimum threshold can be reached by summing the expenses connected to the individual investment programs proposed by the entities belonging to the network, provided that each program in any case provides for eligible expenses of no less than 200,000 euros, 00, be carried out exclusively in production units located in the territories of the less developed Regions, provide for the acquisition of enabling technologies aimed at allowing the technological and digital transformation of the company and/or technological solutions capable of making the production process more sustainable and circular. The assets covered by the investment program must be new and refer to tangible and intangible assets, as defined in articles 2423 and following of the civil code, which concern machinery, plants and equipment strictly functional to the implementation of the investment programs, as well as computer programs and licenses related to the use of the aforementioned material goods. The expenses related to the investment programs must be: - relating to new tangible and intangible fixed assets purchased from third parties, - referring to depreciable and capitalized assets which appear in the company's assets and maintain their functionality with respect to the investment program investment for at least 3 years from the date of disbursement of the balance of the benefits, – referring to assets used exclusively in the production unit covered by the investment programme, – paid exclusively in such a way as to allow full traceability of the operations, – compliant with the relevant community legislation to the eligibility of expenses within the programs co-financed by the 2014-2020 programming structural funds, - completed no later than 12 months from the date of the provision granting the benefits, without prejudice to the possibility of the Ministry to grant, upon request justified by the beneficiary company, an extension of the completion deadline of no more than 6 months.
