The objective of the Notice is to support investments by SMEs with the following purposes:
– face the new challenges imposed by innovation and the ecological and digital transition, through the re-engineering of production cycles and the launch/consolidation of circular economy processes;
– support the positioning of SMEs in global value chains at national and international level;
– support the diffusion of research and innovation to increase the competitiveness of the regional production system;
– aggregating skills, both between companies interested in promoting joint research programmes, and between companies and research organizations and bodies, also to create and strengthen vertical and horizontal supply chains in different sectors, introducing a concept of contamination and exchange of experiences and knowledge ;
– support and qualify regional employment including female employment.
Beneficiary
SMEs individually or in partnership with other small and medium-sized enterprises / Start ups / innovative companies.
Eligible interventions
The intervention may concern:
– Industrial Research and Experimental Development projects that can be integrated with:
- Innovation projects;
- productive investments;
- training projects;
- investments in favor of environmental protection;
- acquisition of specialist consultancy, programs Exclusively in relation to commercial initiatives, referred to in Section G of the 2007 Ateco Classification, the interventions may concern:
Internationalization and participation in fairs.
– Innovation projects that can be integrated with:
- productive investments;
- training projects;
- investments in favor of environmental protection;
- acquisition of specialist consultancy, internationalization programs and participation in trade fairs.
The Integrated Subsidy Programs must concern productive investment programs with a total amount of eligible expenses and costs included between:
- 1 million euros and 50 million euros for medium-sized enterprises;
- 1 million euros and 40 million euros for small businesses;
- 1 million euros and 20 million euros for innovative businesses and individual innovative Start Ups;
- 500 thousand euros and 5 million euros for innovative start-ups and participating innovative companies.
The costs for Industrial Research and Experimental Development cannot exceed 30 million euros for the Integrated Facilitation Programme. The costs for innovation in favor of SMEs cannot exceed 3 million euros. The costs for process and organizational innovation cannot exceed 5 million euros.
Training costs cannot exceed 2 million euros.
Investments in favor of environmental protection cannot exceed 10 million euros.
Expenses for consultancy and internationalization services cannot exceed 500 thousand euros; expenses for participation in the fairs cannot exceed 500 thousand euros.
Eligible expenses
Non-repayable contribution. The benefits for research and development projects, including any increase, may not exceed, regardless of the amount of the eligible amount, the following limits per company:
the. if the project is predominantly an industrial research project: 35 million euros per company and per project; this condition is met when more than half of the project's eligible costs concern activities that fall into the category of industrial research;
ii. if the project is predominantly an experimental development project: 25 million euros per company and per project; this condition is met when more than half of the project's eligible costs concern activities that fall into the category of experimental development;
iii. for aid to SMEs for research and development projects which have been awarded a seal of excellence, the maximum aid amount shall not exceed €2.5 million per SME and per project.
The aid intensity for industrial research and experimental development does not exceed:
to. 60% for medium-sized enterprises and 70% for small enterprises of the eligible costs for industrial research;
b. 35% for medium-sized enterprises and 45% for small enterprises of the eligible costs for experimental development.
This aid intensity for industrial research and experimental development may be increased by 15 percentage points – up to a maximum intensity of 80 % for small enterprises – of the eligible costs if one of the following conditions is met:
I. the project:
to. involves effective collaboration between businesses and does not require a single business to bear more than 70 % of the eligible costs alone, or
b. provides for effective collaboration between an enterprise and one or more research and knowledge dissemination organisations, in which these organizations bear at least 10% of the eligible costs and have the right to publish the results of their research;
II. Project results are widely disseminated through conferences, publications, open access databases or open source or free software.
The incentives for the Innovation of SMEs are granted up to a limit of 50% of the overall expenditure deemed appropriate, relevant and deemed eligible.
The benefits for process and organizational innovation do not exceed 50% of the eligible costs.
For Productive Investments, benefits for eligible expenses are granted within the following limits:
– 40% for medium-sized businesses;
– 50% for small businesses.
In the context of Productive Investments, companies will be able to indicate in the financial economic plan a combination of percentages for investments in fixed capital and intangible assets (a) and for salary costs (b), provided that the combination between costs (a) and (b) does not exceed the limits indicated above.
Furthermore, in the context of Productive Investments, the concession percentages may be increased up to 10% based on the rewards. These benefits cannot exceed the limits established by the Aid Charter.
In relation to Training Aid, the aid intensity does not exceed:
– for medium-sized enterprises 50% of eligible costs.
This intensity can be increased by 10 percentage points if the training is intended for workers with disabilities or disadvantaged workers and by a further 10 percentage points if the subsidized unit is located in a SEZ area;
– for small businesses 70% of eligible costs.
For investments in favor of environmental protection, the aid intensity does not exceed:
to. Investment aid for energy efficiency measures on:
– 55% of eligible costs for medium-sized enterprises;
– 65% of eligible costs for small businesses.
b. Investment aid for the promotion of energy from renewable sources, renewable hydrogen and high-efficiency cogeneration on:
– 55% of eligible costs for medium-sized enterprises;
– 65% of eligible costs for small businesses.
The benefits relating to consultancy services for businesses are granted to SMEs up to a limit of 50% of the overall expenditure deemed appropriate, relevant and deemed eligible.
Presentation
Waiting for the publication of the implementing decree. Publication expected in the second half of 2023.
Photo at ThisisEngineering RAEng su Unsplash
