Aid for business networks – Provincial Law 6/1999

In order to support partnerships between businesses, including those across regions and national borders, financial incentives are provided to encourage the conclusion of network agreements, as defined in Article 3, paragraph 4-ter, of Decree-Law No. 5 of 2009, converted by Law No. 33 of 2009.

To this end, aid has been established pursuant to Article 24-novies ‘Aid for business networks’ of Provincial Law No. 6 of 13 December 1999 (L.P. 6/1999), which may be granted under the ‘de minimis’ scheme.

Types of projects eligible for funding

The following are eligible for funding 

1. legal, administrative and consultancy costs incurred by the network to reach the signing of the contract, provided that the contract has in fact been concluded;
2. the establishment of a common fund intended to finance the following activities:
   1. training of staff involved in the network project
   2. the recruitment of staff assigned to the network’s internationalisation projects
   3. the purchase of hardware and software for the network project
   4. the acquisition of patents and rights to use technologies
   5. promotional and marketing activities
   6. external specialist consultancy services aimed at promoting and developing the network project, including internationalisation projects

Eligible expenditure limits

• The minimum eligible expenditure is €2,500.00;
• The maximum expenditure per applicant may not exceed one third of the fund;
• The maximum expenditure from the fund is €200,000.00.

Grant scheme

The non-repayable grant schemes, under the ‘de minimis’ aid scheme, are:

• 50 per cent of the capital fund contributions
• 30 per cent of the legal, administrative and consultancy costs incurred in order to conclude the network agreement

From 7 February 2024, the grant is awarded in accordance with the new de minimis Regulation 2023/2831. Until 30 June 2024, the grant may be awarded under the previous Regulation 1407/2014, as amended, only if it is more favourable to the applicant in terms of the aid ceiling.

Costs

There are no processing fees, apart from the stamp duty.

Obligations

Business networks benefiting from the incentives must comply with:

• restrictions on the use of funds: The network’s common fund must be used for the intended purposes for a period of at least 5 years from the date the grant is paid, and during this period it may not be returned, even in part, to the member enterprises;
• local presence requirements: enterprises whose participation in the network is subsidised must maintain their operational unit within the province for a period of at least five years from the date the grant is paid;
• prohibition on the distribution of resources, in any form, to participating enterprises, in accordance with the criteria for the application of the law;
• a commitment by applicants to comply with the obligations set out in Article 16(6) of Provincial Law 6/1999;

Cumulation

Submission of an application under these criteria entails the obligation not to benefit from other subsidies for the same initiative, and, where applicable, to waive any subsidies already obtained prior to the granting of the incentives provided for by the provincial law. However, it is permitted to benefit from tax or social security relief measures that do not constitute State aid. In any event, this is without prejudice to the EU rules on the cumulation of State aid.

 The planned measures are aimed at networks involving businesses:

1. of any size, including large enterprises, as well as cross-regional and cross-border networks;
2. with at least one operational unit within the province carrying out activities falling under the codes set out in Table A of the general regulations (Provincial Council Resolution No. 1911/2012 and subsequent amendments).

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for the aid provided for under these criteria:

1. business networks may or may not have legal personality.
2. The network agreement must be:
   1. registered with the Trento Register of Companies
   2. signed by at least three enterprises
   3. signed by large enterprises or by entities other than enterprises, provided that such entities do not account for more than one third of the signatories.

The application may be submitted by:

• The company’s legal representative
• An authorised representative

Submission of an application under the automatic procedure: 

contributions to the network’s common fund and other expenses must have already been made by the date of submission of the application, provided that they were made no earlier than eighteen months prior to that date.

Applicants must submit their grant application to the assessing body exclusively via certified email (PEC); failure to do so will result in the application being deemed inadmissible. The application must include all the required documentation. 

The documentation must be signed either:

• with a digital signature
• by a handwritten signature, scanned and attached to the email message together with a copy of the signatory’s identity document. 

Application deadlines

Applications may be submitted from 1 January 2023

To be eligible for the grant, applicants must submit the following documentation:

• application
• statement of expenses incurred
• list of partner organisations
• information sheet
• power of attorney (if applicable)
• privacy notice

The submission of applications will be suspended from 1 July 2025

Once approved, the grants are paid out in a single instalment.