Aid for enterprise networks - Provincial Law 6/1999

All interested parties are hereby informed that the Provincial Council, by Resolution No 891 of 20 June 2025, has decided to suspend from 1 July 2025 the aid for consortia and business networks referred to in Article 24 octies and novies of Provincial Law No 6/99.

Therefore from 1 July 2025 it will not be possible to submit applications for such aid.

In order to support aggregations between enterprises, including transregional and transnational ones, subsidies are granted to promote the conclusion of network contracts, 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 set up under Article 24-novies 'Aid for business networks' of Provincial Law No 6 of 13 December 1999, payable under the 'de minimis' regime.

Types of interventions eligible for aid

The following are eligible for aid

1. legal, administrative and consultancy expenses incurred by the network in order to reach the signing of the contract, provided that the contract itself has been signed;
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2. the constitution of the common patrimonial fund aimed at financing the exercise of:
   1. training of personnel engaged in the network project
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   2. recruitment of staff for the network internationalisation projects
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   3. purchase of hardware and software for the network project
   4. acquisition of patents and technology utilisation rights
   5. promotional and commercialisation interventions
   6. external specialised consultancy aimed at the promotion and development of the network project, including internationalisation projects

Eligible Expenditure Limits

• The minimum eligible expenditure is Euro 2,500.00;
• The maximum pro rata expenditure may not exceed one third of the fund;
• The maximum expenditure of the fund is euro 200,000.00.

Contribution measure

The non-repayable contribution measures, according to the "de minimis" aid scheme, are

• 50% on capital fund shares
• 30% on legal, administrative and consultancy costs incurred to reach the signing of the network contract

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

Costs

There are no application costs other than the stamp duty.

Obligations

Enterprise networks benefiting from the facilities must comply with

• earmarking obligations: the network's common asset fund must be earmarked for the intended purposes for a period of at least five years from the grant payment and, during the same period, may not be returned, not even in part, to the member enterprises;
• territorial rootedness obligations: the enterprises whose participation in the network is facilitated must maintain their operational unit in the provincial territory for a period of at least 5 years from the grant payment;
• prohibition to distribute resources, in any form whatsoever, to the member enterprises, as provided for by the application criteria of the law;
• 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 concessions for the same initiative, possibly renouncing those already obtained prior to the granting of incentives under the provincial law. It is in any case permissible to benefit from tax or social security relief that does not constitute State aid. The Community rules on the cumulation of State aid are in any case unaffected.

The planned interventions are aimed at networks involving enterprises:

1. of any size, even large, including transregional and transnational;
2. having at least one operational unit in the provincial territory carrying out activities falling under the codes identified in table A of the general rules (Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 1911/2012 and subsequent amendments).
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Access requirements

To be eligible for aid under these criteria:

1. Enterprise networks may have or not have legal subjectivity.
The network contract must be signed by the network operator.
2. The network contract must be:
   1. recorded in the Trento Companies Register
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   2. subscribed by at least three undertakings
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   3. subscribed by large enterprises or by parties other than enterprises for a share not exceeding one third of the subscribers
   .

The application may be submitted by

• Legal representative of the company
• Delegate

Submission of application in automatic procedure

Contributions to the network's common capital fund and other expenses must have already been made on the date the application is submitted, provided that they were made no earlier than eighteen months prior to that date.

Applicants must submit an application for a grant to the examining body, by certified electronic mail (PEC) only, under penalty of ineligibility of the application itself and including the required documentation.

The documentation must be signed alternatively

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

Application deadlines

Applications may be submitted from 1 January 2023

To access the grant, applicants must submit the following documents

• application
• declaration of expenses incurred
• business network list
• news sheet
• proxy (if any)
• privacy policy

Submission of applications will be suspended from 1 July 2025

Once granted, the contributions are paid out in one lump sum.