- The PR FESR 2021-2027 call is open until 30 January 2025 for the Piedmont region, aimed at companies that want to invest in innovation and sustainability.
- Digitalization is at the center of this call, aimed above all at improving the competitiveness of companies in the territory.
- The relief established by this initiative can cover up to total expenditure incurred for innovationwithin certain requirements.
It is extended ERDF PR call for the Piedmont region, which will remain open until January 30, 2025. This is one of the regional initiatives planned for SMEs and small businesses and mid-cap businesses. The focus remains innovation, both in terms of digitalisation and sustainability.
A. is therefore foreseen 100% support for expenses related to digitalization (with specific interventions in cybersecurity, development of e-commerce and similar) and sustainability (for example through the adoption of circular economy solutions). Let’s see in this article how the call works, what expenses the support specifically covers and how to access it.
What is the PR FESR 2021-2017 call
The program for the Piedmont Region PR FESR 2021-2027 is applied in line with European projects, with the making available of almost 1.5 billion euros1 to support the Piedmontese entrepreneurial system in development, competitiveness and innovation.
The call, similarly present in other regions of Italy, proposes support to companies for the creation of more sustainable products and for a more efficient general production system. In this regard, the focus is on energy, environmental and resource sustainability.
The digital transition is central in this perspective, because it allows for the innovation of production systems and the improvement of business growth and efficiency. To be eligible for this call, companies must propose projects with minimum and maximum investment amounts established based on the type of company.
| Company type | Minimum investment | Maximum investment |
| Small Businesses | 50.000 euro | 3.000.000 euro |
| Medium-sized enterprises | 100.000 euro | 3.000.000 euro |
| Small mid-cap companies and mid-cap companies | 250.000 euro | 3.000.000 euro |
Who can access the funds of the call
In this case, the call is aimed at companies based in the Piedmont region, whether they are SMEs and mid-cap companies. According to the specific guidelines of the announcement2some types of companies are excluded:
- illegal economic activities according to national regulations;
- production and distribution of tobacco and alcoholic beverages;
- manufacturing and trading of weapons;
- activities in the gaming sector;
- businesses in fishing, forestry and aquaculture;
- primary production of agricultural goods;
- financial and insurance activities;
- steel companies;
- lignite and coal operations;
- transport and infrastructure activities;
- energy generation and distribution companies.
With the exception of these areas, companies can generally access the tender, in compliance with the dimensions set out therein. In order to receive financial support, projects must move along precise lines of intervention.
Expenses admitted to the PR FESR Piedmont tender
The announcement proposes a non-repayable contribution which can cover up to 100% of eligible expensesas well as a 70% subsidized loan at zero interest from public funds and 30% based on the bank rate. The beneficiary company must then choose a banking institution that intervenes in the financing based on a specific agreement.
The expenses eligible for the subsidy of the call are therefore divided into two macro areas:
- digitalisation: all digital transformation projects are included of production processes, including cybersecurity interventions aimed at increasing the IT security of systems, but also initiatives to promote business electronic commerce. These interventions have the aim of innovating and making companies more competitive also in the face of new and more recent technologies;
- sustainability: projects aimed at improving energy resilience are included of companies in addition to environmental and production sustainability. This includes interventions for production diversification and corporate reorganization, with the aim of moving increasingly towards a circular economy.
Businesses must therefore present your projects in order to access the incentives, however, the call for tenders also provides, only for SMEs, an additional non-repayable contribution guaranteed by Finpiemonte at the time of the total conclusion of the project, with a positive outcome of the related checks.
How to access PR FESR 2021-2027
In order to receive this support, the companies can submit their application to the dedicated official portal by January 30, 2025. However, the call will be open until the available resources are exhausted, so the actual closing date could be brought forward.
Interested companies must, together with the application, submit various attached documents and confirm compliance with the required requirements. These are the estimates that prove what 70% of the value of the investment is, in addition to the Bank resolution for financing (based on the Finpiemonte affiliated entities).
The application must be presented by the legal representative of the business and in case of absence of this person, the appropriate delegation is needed for the intervention of a second person. Finally, all the details on the technical and economic report of the project are needed.
