Things
The fund to support the tanning industry, established by art. 8, paragraph 2-bis of the legislative decree of 25 May 2021, n. 73, converted, with amendments, by law 23 July 2021, n. 106, containing "Urgent measures related to the COVID-19 emergency, for businesses, work, young people, health and local services", has as its objective the protection of supply chains and the planning of design, experimentation, of research and development in the tanning sector, seriously damaged by the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency. The instrument has a total budget of 10 million euros. The interministerial decree of 30 December 2021 implementing article 8, paragraph 2-quater of the aforementioned legislative decree of 25 May 2021, establishes the methods for disbursing the resources of the fund, identifying the criteria for the selection of the programs and activities that can be financed, the eligible expenses, as well as the methods of verification, control and reporting of expenses, also for the purpose of respecting the maximum spending limit. With the Decree of the Director General for business incentives of 6 September 2022, the terms and methods for submitting applications for relief are defined, as well as further elements useful for the correct implementation of the intervention.
Who is it aimed at?
Companies operating in the tanning industry and belonging to the tanning districts located in the Campania, Lombardy, Marche, Tuscany and Veneto regions can benefit from the concessions. The relevant list of Municipalities is shown in attachment no. 1 to the directorial decree.
What does it predict
The incentive promotes the implementation of projects capable of increasing the competitiveness of the proposing companies and with positive repercussions on the tanning district to which they belong, aimed at the implementation of investment programs with a high content of innovation and sustainability, which may also include the carrying out of industrial research or experimental development activities, provided that the latter are strictly connected and functional to the aims of the project and in any case not predominant within the overall spending programme. In particular, entrepreneurial initiatives must be aimed at achieving one of the following objectives: a) introduction, into the activity of the proposing company, of product or process innovations for the achievement of at least one of the following objectives: – a.1) expansion of the range of products and/or services or their significant technological redefinition in an innovative sense; – a.2) introduction of digital contents and processes. b) minimization, according to principles of eco-sustainability and circular economy, of the environmental impacts of production processes; c) creation or consolidation of tools for sharing and integrating activities, knowledge and skills relating to the tanning sector supply chain, through the creation of suitable platforms and sharing or animation structures, capable of encouraging the innovation and internationalization of companies of the tanning sector. Projects having the aforementioned characteristics can also be presented as part of integrated district projects, if the project integration allows the proposing companies to achieve effective competitive advantages, also according to a supply chain logic. The integrated district project must include several coordinated projects proposed by companies operating in the tanning industry. The projects must include eligible expenses totaling no less than 50,000.00 (fifty thousand) euros and no more than 200,000.00 (two hundred thousand) euros. In the case of presentation of integrated district projects aimed at achieving the purpose referred to in letter c) and which provide for the integration of at least 5 projects, the maximum threshold of eligible expenses, limited to one of the projects included in the integrated district project, has been raised to 500,000.00 (five hundred thousand) euros. The projects must also guarantee the environmental sustainability of the investments and be completed within 18 (eighteen) months from the date of the provision granting the benefits. The benefits, in the form of a non-repayable contribution, are granted in the amount of 50% of the eligible expenses, within the limits of the financial allocation of the decree, equal to €10,000,000.00, pursuant to and in compliance with the de minimis regulation. The benefits are granted on the basis of an evaluation procedure with a one-stop process.
