Soon the Piemonte region will launch two interesting ones subsidized finance noticeswhich is scheduled for release at the end of June or beginning of July.
The first warning “Support for the initial growth of innovative start-ups” intends to support the initial stages of development of innovative startups high in knowledge content. THE entrepreneurial projects they will have to be implemented in the Piedmontese territory, contributing to the development of an innovative and competitive economic system.
The second warning “From research to the market: support for projects aimed at valorising the results of CSR activities” intends to contribute to the dissemination and marketing of the results of the Research, Development and Innovation activities conducted in the last 24 months by companies.
Given the importance of the two notices, we provide preliminary information below, awaiting the implementing decree which will define the times for submitting applications and the further methods of participation.
Notice “Support for the initial growth of innovative startups”
The measure, as seen, is aimed at fencourage the initial growth phase of innovative startups who operate or intend to operate in the Piedmont Region.
The beneficiaries of the tender are in fact micro and small businesses, classified as Innovative Startupslocated in Piedmont or who undertake to establish an operational headquarters in Piedmont.
The overall budget of the notice is 10 million euros and the planned expenditure plan must be between a minimum of 100 thousand euros and a maximum of 300 thousand euros.
The Piedmont Region, with this financing program, intends stimulate the growth of Innovative Startups improving their competitive and market positioning. In the initial stage of their growth this type of entrepreneurial initiatives in fact, they need specific support to be able to give substance to their project idea and become more credible on the market and towards any private financiers.
The notice is aimed at both public (university spin-offs) and private initiatives and tends to finance innovative business proposals in terms of product/service/model.
The measure supports development plans relating to innovative business projects, carried out in an original way by a qualified work team. To implement the development plan, the startup will also be able to make use of resources from external investors. In this case, they must be subjects other than the founding members, with the exception of investors who carry out regular risk capital investment activities and who are already involved on the date of incorporation.
The contribution of these resources must not lead to a change in the size of the small business and, to contribute to the definition of the benefit, must not be started on a date prior to the approval of the financing project by the Piemonte region.
The development plan may receive a non-repayable contribution of up to 70% of the approved expenditure value in the event that the startup receives resources from external investors for the implementation of this development plan.
In the event that the development plan is financed exclusively by resources already available to the startup, the non-repayable contribution will be granted for a share of up to 50% of the overall approved spending plan.
Notice “From research to the market”
With this notice the Piedmont Region takes action to promote innovation through a concrete support for companies that must move from the research and development phase of an innovative solution to the phase relating to its launch on the market.
The objective of the measure is in fact to contribute to the dissemination of the results of research, development and innovation activities recently conducted by a company, so that it can place them on the market, bringing a significant benefit to itself and, in general, to the sector it is targeting.
The overall budget of the notice is 20 million euros. Eligible interventions on topics related to product or process innovationmust foresee an expense of at least 200 thousand euros for Micro/Small Enterprises and 350 thousand euros for medium-sized enterprises.
The companies that will be able to present a project to be financed are generally: MSMEsincluding innovative start-ups they industrial spin-offs.
The measure supports business investments aimed at bringing the results of a project to the market Research, Development and Innovation project (RSI) concluded within the 24 months preceding the submission of the application.
These must be projects with a high level of technological maturity. In fact, at the end of the RSI activities carried out previously, they must possess a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 8 (Complete and qualified system) or a TRL 9 (Real system tested in an operational environment).
The results of the CSR project that are intended to be brought to the market must also have a significant innovative impact for the proposing companies or for the reference market, concerning products, processes or services that are radically new or capable of creating new market segments.
The financing of the following operational activities is envisaged:
- Development of SME business and internationalizationincluding productive investments
- Promotion ofuse of recycled materials as raw materials
- Support for environmentally friendly production processes and resource efficiency in SMEs
The maximum amount of grant for each project is equal to one million euros.
Piedmont Region tenders: how to propose your project
The decrees presenting the two notices will be followed shortly by the implementing decrees whose issue dates are expected, as mentioned, between the end of June and the beginning of July.
With this preliminary information, we believe it is useful to give interested parties the opportunity to start thinking about the projects that could be presented.
In consideration of the expected good financial endowment, it can be estimated that, depending on the size of the investments that will be presented and the type of companies that will request the financing, 60-90 projects will be financed for the first measure and 25/40 projects for the second .
It is therefore important to prepare in advance check the availability of the participation prerequisites. Subsequently, with the implementing decrees issued, it will be very important to verify the ability to satisfy the evaluation criteria.
In the case of the first notice, the availability of external investors to contribute to the financing of the project can be verified immediately as it becomes a qualifying element for the project itself and provides the possibility of receiving a non-repayable contribution more significant.
Furthermore, the first warning is “at the counter” so it is essential to prepare to be able to present the project on the opening date which will be indicated by the implementing decree.
ICTLAB PA (Digital360 Group) is available to companies already intending to carry out one preliminary analysis of the opportunity to use these tools. Following the positive outcome of the initial assessment, it will be possible to continue with some preliminary actions in order to be ready to submit the application once the implementing decrees are issued.
Summary sheet of the Piedmont Region tenders
For further details, consult the notices relating to the tenders on the ICTLAB PA website:
