Grants for the development of innovative start-ups - ERDF Notice No. 1/2023

This is a non-repayable grant under the new ERDF Programme 2021-2027, aimed at supporting innovative start-ups in the province.

The text of the Notice is contained in resolution no. 983 of 01 June 2023 and section 11 "Subjective amendments" (with consequent obligations) was amended by resolution no. 1843 of 06 October 2023, both available in the Documents section of this page. FAQs are also available.

Eligible Initiatives

To be eligible for the grant, an Innovative Start-up Project must be submitted, even if not yet established at the time the application is submitted:

• based on one or more innovative solutions with a high technological value to be developed, produced, sold on the market, that meets demand needs such as to make the project scalable also on international markets, and that falls within an area of specialisation envisaged in the Provincial Intelligent Specialisation Strategy (S3);
• with a Team equipped with adequate technical and managerial capacities to launch the Project, even through the possible reinforcement with professionalism and partners available on the market, and that already from the time of presentation of the Project ensures an adequate commitment to the development of the Project in terms of technological and work contribution
• with anoperating unit located in the province.

The Project must be carried out and located in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Trento and must be completed within 18 months from the date on which the examining body is notified of the decision to grant the aid.

Please check point 6 of theNotice for the evaluation criteria and point 9 of theNotice for the project schedule.

Eligible Expenditure and Contribution Measure

The maximum eligible expenditure for each project is €500,000 and the contribution is equal to 70% of the expenditure relating to the Project, provided that it is eligible under the rules set out in this Notice; the minimum expenditure must be at least €50,000.

For more information on the categories of eligible expenses go to Annex 1 of the Notice.

In return for the contribution received, the company must comply with a number of obligations, defined in Annexes 5 and 6 of the Notice.

A summary of the main reporting obligations incumbent on beneficiaries of the 2021-2027 ERDF Programme Notices can be found at the following link.

Chronoprogramme

The Project must start on the day following the date of submission of the application. Start of the Project means the issue of the first proof of expenditure relating to the Project by a supplier (date of invoice or equivalent documentation). A materially completed Project, even if the relevant payments have not yet been made, is in any case not eligible.

The project must be completed within 18 months from the date of notification by the examining body of the decision to grant the subsidy. Evidence of expenditure must be dated no later than the project completion date.

The following are eligible to apply

• (a) small and micro-enterprises registered in the Register of Enterprises of the Province of Trento, which have their registered office and operational headquarters in the territory of the Province of Trento or have an active operational unit (indicated as a local unit in the Chamber of Commerce register) in the territory of the province
• b) small businesses and micro-businesses that have their registered office and place of business outside the territory of the Autonomous Province of Trento;

• (c) one or more natural persons, or one or more natural persons jointly with a legal person (subject to the requirements of an autonomous enterprise)

Companies must also, at the date of submission of the application

1. if already established, not be registered in the Register of Enterprises at the Chamber of Commerce of the territory concerned before 1 January 2021;
2. be registered in the special section dedicated to innovative start-ups in the Register of Companies at the CCIAA (Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture) competent for the territory;
3. be a micro or small enterprise, within the meaning of Annex I of Reg. (EU) 651/2014
4. be an autonomous enterprise, within the meaning of European regulations;
5. not be subject to bankruptcy proceedings;
6. not be in difficulty, within the meaning of Reg. (EU) No 651/2014.

Evaluation criteria

Grant applications will be evaluated by means of an assessment procedure and scores will be attributed to Projects according to the criteria set out in point 6 of the Notice (general eligibility criteria, specific eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria and award criteria).

The examining body is Trentino Sviluppo Spa.

A ranking list will be approved on conclusion of the preliminary examination.

Application submission and deadlines

It is no longer possible to submit an application: applications could be submitted from 27 July 2023 until 12 noon on 27 November 2023.

To submit an application, you must have the SPID digital identity system.

Below you can access the platform in order to be able to report the expenses related to the subsidised initiative. All operating instructions for reporting the investment through the IT platform are available in the specific manual available in the documents section.

PLATFORM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Any technical problems related to the use of the platform must be reported by email by writing to assistenzafesrtn@performer.it, specifying name, company tax code, telephone contact and application identification code (if available).
Technical assistance is available from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (excluding holidays).

See the time schedule under point 9 of the notice.