Aid to businesses for Research and Development – Provincial Law 6/1999

A non-repayable grant awarded under the ‘Exemption Scheme’ pursuant to Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014, for the implementation within the province of a research and development project, in accordance with Article 5 ‘Aid for the promotion of research and development’ of Provincial Law No. 6/1999.

The undertaking may apply for the grant to cover expenses incurred by its operational units located in Trentino in connection with the implementation of a research and development project, which are deemed eligible for support by the Committee for Research and Innovation and fall within the following categories:  

• technical staff (excluding staff with administrative and/or commercial duties);
• costs of contract research, technical expertise and patents (in accordance with the provisions set out in point 7 of the general criteria and subject to the limit of 130 per cent of staff costs);
• depreciation costs for newly manufactured instruments and equipment, purchased specifically for the research project, with a value exceeding 1,000 euros, for the period and percentage of use of such assets in the research project;
• other operating costs such as materials, supplies, services and similar products (with a unit cost exceeding 100 euros);
• additional overheads, up to a maximum of 15 per cent of staff costs.

Eligible expenditure limits

The minimum amount of the grant application must exceed 200,000.00 euros. 

Applications with a value exceeding 1 million euros will be processed under a negotiated procedure, and the award of the grant is subject to the conclusion of a negotiated agreement with the Provincial Executive, which will set out the benefits for the province resulting from the implementation of the research project.

Grant arrangements

Subject to compliance with the principle of the incentive effect, grants are awarded as a single lump sum for applications under the evaluation procedure, and in five annual instalments for those under the negotiated procedure. Grants are awarded on an exemption basis, with percentages varying according to the size of the enterprise, the characteristics of the project and the application of any additional funding increments, as set out in the aid table.

Criteria

Companies benefiting from the incentives must:

• carry out the research project in accordance with the timetable and procedures set out in the approved project. 
• not dispose of the prototypes produced through the subsidised research projectfor a period of three years following the end of the project.
• maintain, within the province, production activities relating to goods or services in the same sector as the research for at least the five years following the year in which the project is completed;
• be subject to specific economic and financial obligations;
• increase the level of employment within the province compared with that at the date of the application;

For applications under the negotiated procedure, the obligations and conditions incumbent on the beneficiary are set out directly in the negotiated agreement.

Small, medium-sized and large enterprises, and in particular, the beneficiaries identified in point 2, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the general provisions of the provincial law, which carry out, or intend to carry out, activities in Trentino falling within the ATECO codes set out in Table A annexed to the general provisions.

In any event, the entities referred to in point 4, paragraph 2 of the general provisions are excluded.

Eligibility criteria:

In order to be eligible for the aid provided for under these criteria, the applicant must meet the requirements set out in point 3, paragraph 1, of the general provisions of the provincial law:

• have an operational unit within the province, where ‘operational unit’ means a business structure capable of producing goods and services, both from a technological and an administrative perspective (see point 3 of the general criteria for further details on the operational unit);
• not be subject to any ongoing insolvency proceedings;
• not be considered to be in difficulty within the meaning of the European Union’s state aid rules;
• be in compliance with tax regulations;
• not be subject to a recovery order from the European Commission for aid declared unlawful and incompatible.

Applications may be submitted by:

• The owner/legal representative of the company
• An authorised representative

Applicants must submit their grant application, together with the required documentation, to the assessing body exclusively via certified email (PEC).

The documentation must be signed in one of the following ways:

• by digital signature;
• by handwritten signature, accompanied by the signatory’s identity document

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

• grant application
• research project
• technical, economic and financial report or, alternatively, for applications under the negotiated procedure only, a strategic plan;
• cost estimates from suppliers for contractual research costs, technical expertise, patents, consultancy fees and equivalent services;
• negotiation proposal, for applications under the negotiated procedure only;
• power of attorney (if applicable)
• privacy notice

It is no longer possible to submit an application.