Things
The measure, provided for by article 38-bis of the "Relaunch Decree" is aimed at "supporting the textile, fashion and accessories industry, with particular regard to startups that invest in design and creation, as well as with the aim of promoting young talents in the textile, fashion and accessories sector who enhance Made in Italy products with high artistic and creative content" through the provision of non-repayable contributions.
Who is it aimed at?
Small businesses can benefit from the benefits in accordance with the provisions of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014, newly or recently established operating in the textile, fashion and accessories industry, not listed and which have not taken over the activity of another company and which were not established following a merger. Companies must carry out at least one of the activities listed in the list of admitted ATECO codes (pdf), integrated with decree of 18 May 2021, as resulting from the "prevalent" activity code communicated to the Business Register. On the date of submission of the application, the aforementioned small businesses must also: - be registered and "active" in the Business Register of the territorially competent Chamber of Commerce for no more than 5 years, - carry out one or more of the economic activities in Italy, - be in the full and free exercise of their rights, not be in voluntary liquidation and not be subjected to insolvency proceedings with liquidation purposes, as of 31 December 2019, the companies must not have been in difficulty, as regulated by article 2, point 18, of the exemption regulation, - be in compliance with the provisions in force regarding contribution obligations, - have not yet distributed profits, - not be in a situation of difficulty as of 31 December 2019, as regulated by article 2, point 18, of the exemption regulation, but which became so in the period from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2021, without prejudice to the existence, at the date of submission of the application, of the condition referred to in the previous letter c).
What does it predict
To access the benefits, companies that can benefit from the benefits must present investment projects belonging to the following types: – projects aimed at creating new design elements, – projects aimed at introducing production process innovations into the company, – projects aimed at the creation and use of innovative fabrics, – projects inspired by the principles of the circular economy aimed at recycling used materials or the use of fabrics deriving from renewable sources, – projects aimed at introducing digital innovations into the company. Furthermore, these projects must: - be carried out by the beneficiaries at their operational headquarters located in Italy, - include eligible expenses totaling no less than 50,000.00 euros and no more than 200,000.00 euros, - be started after the date of submission of the concession application, - be completed within 18 months from the date of the provision granting the concessions. The available resources are equal to 5,000,000.00 euros. Expenses strictly functional to the implementation of investment projects are eligible for the benefits, relating to: – purchase of new factory machinery, systems and equipment, including related installation costs, – patents, computer programs and software licenses, – staff training relating to the aspects on which the project is focused to an extent not exceeding 10% of the project amount, - working capital, within the limit of 20% of the expenses referred to in the previous points, motivated in the project proposal and used for the purposes of paying the following expense items: raw materials, including goods purchased subject to further transformation processes, subsidiaries, consumables and goods, services necessary for carrying out the company's activities, use of third-party assets, personnel directly employed in the creation of the investment projects.
