Facilities to support research and development projects for the conversion of production processes under the banner of thecircular economy. The measures introduced in the Growth Decree (2019) are finally being implemented. (1) The decree 5.8.20, signed by the director general for business incentives at the Ministry of Economic Development (Mi.S.E.), indicates terms and procedures for accessing the benefits. (2)
Available resources
Resources available, subject to exhaustion, amount to:
– 155 million for granting subsidized financing from the FRI (Revolving Fund for Business Support and Research Investment),
– 62 million for expenditure grants.
The expenditure contributions mentioned above are distributed as follows:
– 40 mln, in the 2020 availability of the FSC (Fund for Development and Cohesion), is allocated mostly to less developed and transition regions (€32 mln), a smaller share to more developed regions (€8 mln),
– 20 million euros, from the availability of the Sustainable Growth Fund, are earmarked for projects to be implemented throughout the country,
– 2 million, out of the resources made available by the Basilicata Region, are worth as grants to research projects carried out in its regional territory.
Beneficiaries of research project grants
Enterprises of any size-which operate mainly in the industrial sector (and carry out one of the activities stipulated in Article 2195 of the Civil Code), including artisanal goods-producing and agro-industrial enterprises-as well as research centers may apply.
Applications may be submitted individually or in association, subject to designation of the lead entity and formalization of an arrangement (e.g., network contract, partnership agreement or consortium). Research organizations may participate as co-proponents.
Allowable expenditure limits range from a minimum of 500,000 to a maximum of euro 2,000,000.00 (two million/00).
Participation requirements
At the time of filing the application, grantees must meet the following requirements:
– Be duly incorporated and registered in the commercial register,
– not being subject to bankruptcy proceedings and not being in a state of bankruptcy, liquidation (including voluntary), receivership, arrangement with creditors or equivalent situations,
– be in ordinary accounting and have at least two approved and filed financial statements (i.e., two filed tax returns, for sole proprietorships and partnerships).
Access to benefits also postulates that enterprises:
– have not received and subsequently not repaid aid qualified as illegal or ineligible by the EC,
– Are in compliance with the repayment of sums owed in connection with orders to revoke facilities granted by the Ministry,
– are not in hardship as identified in the GBER (General Block Exemption Regulation, reg. EU 651/14).
Methods of filing applications
Exclusively telematic transmission of applications – under penalty of invalidity and inadmissibility – is scheduled from 5.11.20, on working days only, during the hours of 10am-7pm. Documentation to be attached:
– data sheet,
– development plan;
– prospectus bearing data for the calculation of enterprise size, in case the proposing party is associated or affiliated,
– attestation of willingness to grant the bank loan, from the financing bank (according to the model defined in the Agreement available on the CDP website, with digital signature),
– Declaration in lieu of affidavit regarding turnover and development expenses incurred in Italy.
Additional documentation, which varies depending on whether the application is submitted individually or jointly and the nature of the individuals involved, is set out in the decree under review.
Instruction
The preliminary activity, entrusted to Invitalia, is structured as follows:
– Verification of formal eligibility requirements and conditions, as well as completeness of submitted documentation. To be executed within 30 days of application submission,
– Assessment of the merits of the application, including through site visits and inspections at the facilities of the proponents. To be completed within 90 days of application submission.
The substantive scoring inquiry considers the technical and organizational feasibility of the project, its quality, and its potential impact on the market.
Selena Travaglio and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) ‘Urgent measures for economic growth and resolution of specific crisis situations,’ so-called Growth Decree, DL 30.4.19 no. 34. Text coordinated with changes introduced in conversion law 28.6.19 no. 58 at https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2019/06/29/19A04303/sg
(2) See Mi.S.E. website.
(3) MiSE directorial decree 5.8.20, art. 3, para. 1.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Lawyer, specializing in intellectual property rights. LL.M. in agri-food law.
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