Grants for environmentally sustainable technology development investments

The aid relates to the purchase and installation of multifunctional plant, machinery and equipment for the application of plant protection products and for the use of de-icing agents on orchards, small fruit and vineyards, up to their market value, as provided for in point (153)(b) of the Guidelines.

The proposed projects must relate to a type of investment in an innovative technological 'fixed point' treatment plant that must comply with the characteristics as described in accordance with the selection criteria set out in point 7 of the Notice approved by decision of the Provincial Council No 1520 of 18.08.2023 and that will enable the final beneficiaries - farms that are members of cooperative bodies and/or their consortia, active in primary agricultural production - to prevent and reduce pollution by reducing pollutants in the air, water, soil and subsoil.

Only projects that evolve from project initiatives launched under the EIPs (Operational Groups within the European Innovation Partnership) on sustainable agriculture and that specifically aim to achieve at least three of the objectives specified in point 7 of the Call for Proposals approved by decision of the Provincial Council No 1520 of 18 August 2023 are eligible for aid.

The aid intensity is 65% of eligible costs.

The minimum limit of eligible costs per application is set at Euro 50,000.00.

The maximum limit of contribution per application is set at Euro 1,000,000.00 per individual applicant.

The provisions of points (103), (104) and (109) of the chapter "Cumulation of aid" of the Guidelines apply to cumulation. Aid may also be granted under several schemes or combined with ad hoc aid, provided that the total amount of State aid for an activity or project does not exceed the aid ceilings laid down in the Guidelines. Aid with identifiable eligible costs may be cumulated with other State aid to the extent that such aid relates to different identifiable eligible costs. Aid with identifiable eligible costs may be cumulated with any other State aid in relation to the same eligible costs, wholly or partially overlapping, only if such cumulation does not lead to exceeding the highest aid intensity or aid amount applicable to that type of aid under the Guidelines. Aid authorised under the Guidelines may not be cumulated with de minimis aid in respect of the same eligible costs where such cumulation would result in an aid intensity or aid amount exceeding that laid down in the Guidelines.

Costs relating to the following are not eligible

1. value added tax (VAT);
2. working capital;
3. commissions for financial transactions, exchange losses and other purely financial charges;
4. incidental expenses (e.g. notary fees, financial charges, stamp duty, tax costs, contingencies, travel, accommodation and meals);
5. purchase and installation of used goods;
6. ordinary and extraordinary maintenance work;
7. invoices or equivalent supporting documents not in the name of the beneficiary.

Applications must be submitted between 28 August 2023 and 28 September 2023.

If the above-mentioned deadline is not met, the application will be deemed inadmissible.

The initiative must be started after the application has been submitted (as provided for in point 4 of the Call for Proposals approved by decision of the Provincial Council no. 1520 dated 18.08.2023).

In order to be eligible for funding, the initiative must in any case be carried out in compliance with the provisions set out in the Notice of Criteria approved by Resolution of the Provincial Executive No. 1520 of 18 August 2023.

The granting of the contribution entails the obligation for the beneficiary to respect the intended use of the technological installations for at least three years pursuant to Article 6 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003. The term runs from the date of the application for final payment of the grant.

In the event of disposal of the asset before the expiry of the time limit, the beneficiaries shall be required, except for force majeure, to repay the grant awarded in proportion to the residual duration of the period provided for.

The residual duration is calculated from the date of occurrence of the circumstances giving rise to the revocation of the aid until the end of the respective period. The corresponding amount is to be repaid plus interest at the statutory rate.

The grantee shall in any case allow the staff in charge of monitoring the application of the applicable rules and regulations free access to the facilities and documentation pertaining to the subject matter of the grant.

Checks on compliance with the obligations imposed on the beneficiary by Article 6 of Provincial Law no. 4/2003 and checks on the declarations in lieu of certification and affidavits shall be carried out after the final payment of the grant, in accordance with the relevant provincial provisions in force.

METHOD OF PAYMENT OF EXPENSES INCURRED

Only expenses paid by bank or postal transfer or by RIBA from the current account in the name of the beneficiary (dedicated current account, not necessarily exclusive) are eligible.

It is mandatory to quote the Unique Project Code (CUP) attributed by the competent Service for Agriculture, and communicated to the beneficiary, in all electronic invoices (style sheet) and in all payments.

The instructions and methods by which the (CUP) must be affixed to the expenditure documentation will be communicated to the applicant with the communication of the (CUP) code assignment as established by the regulations in force.

In the event the credit transfer is ordered through "home banking", the grantee shall produce a printout of the transaction showing the date and number of the transaction executed, as well as a description of the reason for the transaction to which it refers, and a printout of the statement of account referring to the transaction or any other document proving that the transaction has taken place.

Entities that have directly or indirectly joined the EIPs (Operational Groups within the European Innovation Partnership) whose projects have been deemed eligible for funding and for which the decision to grant aid has been adopted may benefit from the planned aid, specifically

• agricultural and agricultural product harvesting, processing and marketing cooperatives and their consortia, registered in the cooperative register of the Province of Trento
• agricultural associations provided they are legally constituted
• farmers' associations recognised under the relevant legislation in force as provided for in Article 2(1)(d) and (e) of Provincial Law 4/2003.

and that

• are not undertakings in difficulty as defined by current Community legislation
• are not firms subject to an outstanding recovery order following a previous Commission decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market;
• are not undertakings that have already benefited for the same aid application from other aid measures except within the limits of the provisions in force;
• are entities that have directly or indirectly adhered to EIPs (Operational Groups under the European Innovation Partnership).

Members of the above-mentioned cooperatives, which may be associated in consortia, must be farmers located in the Province of Trento. Member farmers must also be registered in the special section of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture.

Cooperative member farms belonging to the applicant's cooperative system must have a farm file in the Province of Trento when submitting the aid application, which must contain the parcels subject to the proposed investment; if they do not have one, it must be set up with a CAA;

The application may be submitted by the legal representative of the company,( a consultant may be usedto enter the application in SRTrento only ).

The application for assistance must be submitted exclusively in telematic mode (online) by accessing the portal https://srt.infotn.it.

Access to the reserved area of SRTrento is allowed only to registered users, therefore each user must be accredited in advance according to the procedures indicated in the manual on the home page as specified on this web page We recommend in this regard to carefully consult the manual for first access to the portal, where the various phases of the accreditation procedure are detailed. Applications submitted must be signed using a valid digital signature device, so it is advisable to have one in advance. For any assistance in accessing and enabling the portal, please contact helpdesk.srtrento@provincia.tn.it.

The application must be digitally signed by the legal representative of the company or it will be inadmissible.

The application shall contain the declaration in lieu of affidavit, made by the legal representative, stating

• that the applicant is not a firm in difficulty as specified in point 2.4 "definitions" paragraph 33 (63) of the Guidelines;
• that the applicant has not benefited for the same investment from any other assistance except within the limits of the provisions in force;
• that the applicant is not subject to an outstanding recovery order following a previous Commission decision declaring the aid illegal and incompatible with the internal market;
• that the applicant is an entity that has directly or indirectly participated in EIPs (European Innovation Partnership Operational Groups);

DOCUMENTATION TO BE ATTACHED TO THE APPLICATION

1. Project drawings complete with map extract of the parcels;

2. List of the parcels subject to intervention and relative cadastral municipality;

3. Authorisation to carry out the initiative by the partner farm

4. Building title, or other appropriate documentation, if required by the regulations in force in relation to the works contemplated in the application. In the event that the above-mentioned building title is not present at the time the grant application is submitted, the project must in any case be authorised before the grant is awarded and in any case within a maximum of 20 days from the day after the application deadline;

5. Simple copy of the duly signed minutes, or extract thereof, by which the competent statutory body approves the proposed initiative;

6. Illustrative report of the final project in all its characteristics, from which the "Objectives and Eligibility Criteria" must emerge, with particular reference to paragraph 1 relating to the objectives of the proposed investment and specific and detailed indication must be given of the objectives indicated in point 7 of the Notice approved by the Provincial Executive resolution no. 1520 of 18.08.2023

7. A detailed cost estimate showing the characteristics of the plant, machinery and equipment and the relevant costs, also broken down by category, and a report highlighting the innovative features of the plant and, consequently, the related costs, taking into account the innovative nature in technological terms of the proposed project of environmental relevance. This report must be prepared and signed by the supplier of the plant and must also be signed by the grant applicant.

Documents to be submitted for the grant payment and reporting request:

For the payment of the contribution, an application must be submitted, completed and signed by the applicant, using the computerised procedures made available to users on the portal https://srt.infotn.it., specifying the amount requested, net of VAT and non-eligible expenses.

The following documents must be attached to the application for payment of the grant in the above-mentioned portal

1. Technical acceptance document of the installation, signed by the supplier and the grantee;
2. Report showing: the parcels of land on which the initiative was carried out, details of the materials used and the relevant expenditure incurred:
3. List of invoices and relative allocation of eligible expenses, net of VAT;
4. Copy of the receipted electronic invoices (style sheet) or equivalent supporting documents, together with a copy of the bank transfers and/or bank statements or in any case of the documentation certifying the payment as set out in point 3.4 of the Call for Proposals approved by Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 1520 of 18.08.2023 Invoices or equivalent supporting documents and related payments must indicate the unique project code (CUP). Please note that the invoice or supporting document must describe in detail the intervention to which it refers.

Invoices or equivalent supporting documents not in the name of the beneficiary are not accepted.

Within 30 days from the day following the deadline for the submission of applications, a priority ranking will be approved by a determination of the Director of the Agricultural Service, according to the scores foreseen by the "selection criteria" defined in point 7 of the Notice approved by the Provincial Council resolution no. 1520 of 18.08.2023

In the event that the application is lacking or deficient in the requirements provided for by the above-mentioned criteria, a rejection decision will be taken.

The reporting of the initiative must be carried out by 31/12/2024.

It will be possible to request extensions in accordance with the Provincial Council Resolution no. 1980 of 14.09.2007 and subsequent amendments and additions.