Aid for research and development projects - P.L. 6/2023

The facilitation measure supports business research and development projects to be carried out after the date of submission of the application.

The facilitation measure, implemented within the framework of Provincial Law no. 6/2023 "Interventi a sostegno del sistema economico trentino" (Measures to support Trentino's economic system), is governed by the specific provisions of the individual measures relating to the facilitation measure "Aid to finance industrial research, experimental development and feasibility studies" and by the general provisions common to all measures.

What it finances

Aid is granted for research and development projects, even if carried out jointly with other entities, that can be traced to the following activities

• industrial research;
• experimental development.

Industrial research and experimental development activities must be aimed at the creation of new products, processes or services or at the significant improvement of existing products, processes or services.

The facilitation measure is divided into the following sub-measures

• research and experimental development projects carried out by small, medium, large enterprises (submeasure A1);
• research and experimental development programmes carried out by enterprise research centres (submeasure A2).

Projects are examined by means of an evaluation procedure.

Incentive

For projects submitted under sub-measure A1 - Research and experimental development projects, the incentive measure is calculated on the expenditure considered eligible and is determined on the basis of the type of activity and whether or not the project belongs to the areas of priority interest/strategic projects defined by the Multiannual Research Programme (P.P.R.) as per Article 18 of Provincial Law no. 14/2005.

A bonus is recognised if the beneficiary is a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME bonus) and a further bonus if the project involves collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises, or conditions for the broad dissemination of results or access to them at market prices and non-exclusive or discriminatory conditions (other bonus).

See the incentive details of submeasure A1 here.

For projects submitted under sub-measure A2 - Research and Development Programmes of Research Centres, the incentive measure is equal to 25% of eligible expenditure.

The incentive is granted under an exemption scheme pursuant to Commission Regulation (EU) 651/2014 of 17 June 2014.

Minimum and maximum limit of expenditure

For projects submitted under sub-measure A1 - Research and experimental development projects, the minimum eligible expenditure must be greater than EUR 200 thousand.

For projects submitted under sub-measure A2 - Research and development programmes of research centres, the minimum eligible expenditure must be higher than EUR 1 million.

Applications with an expenditure amount higher than EUR 10 million are not subsidised.

Eligible projects must

• be carried out within an operating unit located in the territory of the Province of Trento, in possession of specific requirements (check point 3, paragraph 8 of the general provisions common to all interventions)
• be started within 3 months from the date the incentive is granted;
• for sub-measure A1 - Research and experimental development projects, be completed within 3 years from the project start date; for sub-measure A2 - Research and development programmes of research centres, be completed within 5 years from the project start date;
• be started after the date of submission of the application.

Further obligations are set out in the general provisions common to all the aid measures and in the specific provisions of the individual aid measures relating to the aid measure 'Aid to finance industrial research, experimental development and feasibility studies'. These include obligations to maintain the operating unit in the provincial territory, employment and economic-capital obligations, and obligations to use the results of the project for productive purposes in the provincial territory.

Projects with eligible expenditure exceeding 1 million euro are also subject, for the purposes of granting the incentive, to the signing of a Pact between the Province and the company requesting the incentive. In the Pact, objectives and obligations for the development of the territory are shared.

Enterprises of any size (including research centres) meeting the requirements set out in the specific provisions of the individual aid measure 'Aid to finance industrial research, experimental development and feasibility studies' or in the general provisions common to all aid measures.

Among the requirements are

• Insurance contract covering damages, directly caused by natural disasters and catastrophic events occurring on the national territory, to the assets indicated in paragraph 1 of Article 2424 of the Civil Code, (asset section, item B-II, numbers 1), 2) and 3)), pursuant to Law no. 213/2023 (art. 1, paragraphs 101 et seq. as amended by art. 13 of Decree-Law no. 202/2024 and art. 1 of Decree-Law no. 39/2025).

  The insurance contract is required as an access requirement for applications submitted from:

  • 30 June 2025, for large enterprises;
  • 2 October 2025, for medium-sized enterprises;
  • 1 January 2026, for small enterprises.

  Compliance with the obligation to take out the insurance contract is also required for incentive applications submitted before the aforementioned deadlines and granted after them.
  Please check the FAQ under 'Further Information'.

• Collective agreement with respect to its employees, from among those identified by Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 1758 of 31 October 2024

• Contribution regularity towards social security and welfare institutions.

The application may be submitted by

• Owner, legal representative of the company
• Delegate

Applications may be submitted from 1 January to 31 December of each year.

If an application has already been submitted under the facilitating measure "Aid to finance industrial research projects, experimental development and feasibility studies", a new application may be submitted only after the completion of the previous facilitated initiative.

In any case, for the submission of a new application

• for sub-measure A1 - Research and experimental development projects, at least 2 years must have elapsed since the date of submission of the previous application;
• for sub-measure A2 - Research and development programmes of research centres, at least 6 years must have elapsed since the date of submission of the previous application.

The application must be submitted to the examining body - Provincial Agency for the Encouragement of Economic Activities (APIAE) - by certified electronic mail (PEC) to the address: apiae.incentivi@pec.provincia.tn.it.

Appearance of the Unique Project Code - CUP on invoices issued from 1 June 2023 and relating to incentive applications submitted from 22 April 2023.

Please check the operative instructions under"Unique Project Code (CUP) provisions".

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